Perfection: Naruto the Chimera
by Thanathos
Summary: Idea from dracohalo117, taken with his permission. When Orochimaru left Akatsuki, he took samples from each of his fellow members. He then kidnaps the one he will make his new vessel… Naruto Uzumaki. Good Akatsuki, Living Kushina, Strong Naruto
1. Gathering the Ingredients

Perfection: Naruto the Chimera

Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

* * *

Orochimaru was a patient man. In order to be a good scientist, you had to be. It takes a while to get experimental results. And you always had to prepare for the unexpected, like that old fool Sarutobi barging into one of his labs, forcing him to leave Konoha. He had been prepared that night, everything of importance was sealed up in scrolls, which were sealed up in a single scroll he had hid beneath his clothing. A bit risky, but the only ones alive in the village of Konoha who could actually get in a hit that might damage the scroll were Jiraya, Tsunade and Sarutobi. The first two weren't there, and his old sensei wouldn't attack him, Orochimaru knew him too well for that. It was a shame that infants with the Shodaime's genes hadn't lived, but that had been a minor setback.

Leaving Konoha was not much of a loss either, he'd been toying with the idea anyways. The village had been useful, but for Orochimaru's quest for immortality, there was nothing else Orochimaru could squeeze out of it, not counting experimental subjects, but those could be found anywhere else. He currently had an immortality-jutsu that allowed his soul to take over other bodies, but it was untested and also not really immortality, as there was still a threat of being lethally injured and unable to find a new host. So Orochimaru had left, seeking another place where he might find the answers to eternal life. And he found it.

He had been approached by an organization known as the Akatsuki, a group of S-class ninja, much like himself. Their goals were a bit strange, all Orochimaru knew that they fought devils, fiends and other hellish critters, which were still swarming the planet. They normally moved in groups of two, there were regular pairs that normally wandered together, and special occasions where different pairs or even groups would be sent against a particularly strong foe. But Orochimaru wasn't really interested in the organization's goals or setup, the members took too much of his attention. Within them laid the answers he had yearned for such a long time.

There was Hidan, an immortal in a literal sense, as Orochimaru had witnessed a fiend similar to a praying mantis had decapitated him, only for the head to start swearing about neck-pain. Orochimaru had heard of the near-extinct Order of Jashin, and that its members could reflect the injuries they suffered to their enemies after going through a secret ceremony, but never had he heard that they didn't die with their victims. In their belief, they destroyed their souls in order to send Jashin the ultimate tribute, the soul of their foe. Well, destroyed was not quite correct, seeing that souls were indestructible, but they were shattered, denying them entrance to heaven or hell until they reformed. Once that happened, they were reborn without a trace of who they once were, as the law of gods commanded. The only problem Orochimaru saw was that once the head was severed, Hidan lost control of his body. Also, Orochimaru didn't know if the man was truly immortal, or just immune to a forceful death.

The next member, Kakuzu, would solve that problem. He was Hidan's opposite. While technically mortal, he extended his life by ripping out others hearts, allowing him to use their strengths, as well as add their life to his own. Orochimaru had no idea how old Kakuzu was, but the man had hinted that he'd fought the Shodaime Hokage. If Orochimaru could combine the powers of these two men, he'd have his immortality. But Orochimaru was greedy, so why settle for second-best when you had a chance to gain perfection. The other members' ability would be a magnificent addition, truly creating the perfect body.

His own regular partner was Akasuna no Sasori, or Sasori of the Red Sands. The two of them disliked each other, but respected the other one's skills and actually worked well together. Orochimaru was interested in human puppets, as it would give him an edge. However, he felt that he had better things to do than learn puppetry, not that that meant he wouldn't like his perfect body to be able to use fallen enemies as weapons.

Another member that intrigued Orochimaru especially was Kisame Hoshigaki. Or more precisely, his sword Samehada. The sword could instantly devour chakra, and not only the limited amounts humans possessed, Orochimaru had seen Kisame shave all demonic and highly toxic youki off a fiend on the level of the Sanbi, without any ill-effects on the sword. Unfortunately, the damned blade was at least semi-sentient, and refused to let anyone but Kisame wield it.

The woman, Konan, did not interest him that much, but he saw the advantages in being able to turn into paper. It would give the expression being overwhelmed by paperwork a whole new meaning, plus nobody expected an attack to come from a pile of blank paper. And the idea was brilliant, Orochimaru would admit that much.

Of course the leader's Rinnegan made Orochimaru's mouth water. The first of the doujutsu, and the most powerful of them all. However, Orochimaru doubted he'd get close enough for a transfer, not that it'd do him much good. Pein wasn't immortal. Still, his skills in an immortal body would grant Orochimaru the strength of a god.

As for the last member, Orochimaru wasn't sure what to make of him. Zetsu was an enigma. All Orochimaru knew about him was that he could freely pass through solid objects, and cover great distances in seconds. Orochimaru had tried to copy that skill, but the results were moderate at best. Still, he was sure that Zetsu could do a lot more than he'd shown.

Orochimaru decided that he'd try to get samples from them, while biding his time in hopes that other shinobi would join, so that he may gain more samples.

And slowly and patiently, Orochimaru collected his samples. Ironically, the one sample he desired the most was the easiest to acquire, as Hidan left gallons of his genetic material whenever he fought or prayed to his god.

For the other samples, Orochimaru had to use cunning.

* * *

Orochimaru looked at Kakuzu with calculating eyes. The man seemed annoyed. "Why did you call me, Orochimaru?"

Said serpent smirked. "I have something for you." He raised a golden wristband with embedded diamonds into the air.

Kakuzu's eyes widened slightly, then his left arm detached and shot forward, black strings connecting it with the main body. Orochimaru reacted instantly, pulling out his Kusanagi and chopping the limb off with a single sweep.

Kakuzu looked at him. "Are you trying to test my patience?" he asked, obviously annoyed.

Orochimaru shook his head. "Now now, I never said it was for free. In return, I want some information. I heard rumors about a elemental bloodline in Takegakure, and as a former shinobi of that village, you should know."

Kakuzu frowned. It was no secret that Orochimaru was interested in bloodlines, but to go this far? Then again, who was he to complain? "Alright, give me the good and I will tell you what I know."

Orochimaru raised a brow. "How do I know you won't just run off with this? It is pretty expensive."

Kakuzu looked at him. "If I started to betray my business-partners, the news would spread and nobody would do money-related deals with me."

Orochimaru tilted his head, seemingly weighing his options, then he threw the wristband to Kakuzu. Said man pulled out a small magnifying-glass that was placed on the eye, the likes every jewel-dealer used, and started to look at every single stone. Finally, he nodded. "This is real. To answer your question, there is no such bloodline in Taki, and there has never been an elemental bloodline-user serving Take in its entire history." With that, he _shunshin_ed away.

Orochimaru waited a while, then he smiled. "I know." He had been the one spreading that rumor, and it had served its purpose. He bended down to pick up a number of severed black strings. Amongst what Kakuzu had sent with his arm, there had been a number of loose strings, some of which Orochimaru now collected and sealed in a scroll. With that, the necessary materials were gathered, now for the supplemental ones.

* * *

Orochimaru had paid a visit to Amegakure, Akatsuki's headquarters after Pein had killed Hanzo. Orochimaru had come to secure the corpse, which he managed, and look for the Salamander-contract. He had found that one as well, but it didn't do him any good. The paranoid ruler of Ame had sealed it into a tattoo on his arm, with a seal that required the man's own chakra to work. Still, having Hanzo's corpse could only be good, as it probably held a few secrets for Orochimaru to uncover. Sadly, the man didn't have a kekkei genkai, only ridiculous amounts of skill. The man had shown that he was a master in manipulating Fire, Water and Lightning, and that he had been a brilliant strategist.

Right now he was on his way back, but he was biding his time. Then he heard what he'd been waiting for, the flapping of tiny wings. He spun around and release a salve of senbon that nailed the paper-butterflies to a nearby tree. Orochimaru plucked them off the needles, then unceremoniously ripped them to shreds, although he sealed a few larger pieces into a scroll. He didn't have to wait long until Konan, the Angel of Ame, appeared.

She got strait to the point. "Why did you do that?"

Orochimaru chuckled. "Kukuku, while I enjoy spying on people to learn their secrets, I hate being spied on."

Konan looked him in the eye, then she slowly nodded. "Don't do it again. I have no idea why you want Hanzo's body, but be careful not to overstep your bounds." With that, she turned to paper and blew away.

Orochimaru shrugged. That was one.

* * *

Orochimaru looked at the floor. A giant open Venus-flytrap was in front of him, a man's head and shoulders were sticking out of it, one part of him white as snow, the other one black as the night. This was Zetsu, spy and messenger of the Akatsuki, and he had just given him and Sasori their instructions.

Orochimaru smiled and ruffled through Zetsu's hair. "You are quite useful, aren't you?" Then he quickly pulled his hand back, and not a second too soon. The flytrap snapped shut, sounding like a triggered bear-trap, missing Orochimaru's finger by a hair's width. Then the two parts opened again, revealing an annoyed face. "Don't pat **my head.**"

Orochimaru shrugged. "Won't happen again." Then he and Sasori left as Zetsu sank into the ground. Orochimaru looked at his hand. A few strands of hair were in between his fingers. That was two.

* * *

Orochimaru and Sasori were in the hardest fight they had had for a long time. Zetsu had completely underestimated the threat this guy posed. While their foe looked like an overgrown mix between a gecko, a rodent and a bull, it could manipulate the earth beneath their feet, making a fight difficult due to permanent loss of footing. Also, the damned beast sent spikes through the ground every now and then, trying to target their blind-spots. Sasori was still in what Orochimaru was certain was a carrier-puppet, considering he hadn't used a single puppet yet, and having a harder time to dodge. Eventually, the inevitable happened, Sasori took a hit.

The strike had been a nasty one, coming directly from below. Sasori had no way of seeing it, and it pierced through the entire body, shooting out of the top of Sasori's body. As Orochimaru had expected, a figure shot out from 'Sasori's' back. Orochimaru saw the true Sasori, what looked like a young man with red hair. Orochimaru was intrigued. From his information, Sasori should be older than that by now. Did the man find his own way of eternal youth, or did he simply have a baby-face?

Sasori spoke. "Damn, he nicked me. And of all the possible places, it had to be there." Orochimaru noticed he was holding his chest, a purplish liquid flowing out between Sasori's fingers, dripping onto a rock on the floor.

Orochimaru smirked. "Looks like everyone doesn't bleed red after all."

Sasori glanced at him. "Orochimaru, be quiet. This has gone on long enough, it's time for me to end this." He looked at the fiend. "You have taken up too much of my valuable time already. But since you grazed me, you will die by my favorite puppet." He pulled out and opened a scroll that had the kanji for 3 in it. With a poof, a man that Orochimaru easily recognized was leaning on Sasori's shoulders. The Sandaime Kazekage, the most powerful leader Suna had ever had, was now one of Sasori's weapons. Then the puppet opened its mouth, and a black substance oozed out. Orochimaru knew that this was not some sort of blob, but countless metal-particles, and if he knew Sasori, the entire thing was poisoned.

The poor critter didn't stand the ghost of a chance. Suddenly, instead of the earth, it was standing on a black platform that bound its limbs, tail and made a choker around its neck while lifting it into the air. With a short tug, the creature was hugging the square platform, all limbs, tail included, were stretched out, pointing away from its body. Then a large block of the Black Sand appeared above it. Sasori's finger twitched and the two black squares shot towards each other, squashing the gecko/rodent/bull in between them like a mosquito between two hands.

Orochimaru walked over to the rock were Sasori's purple blood had pooled and dipped his fingers in the puddle, not without secretly pulling out a syringe and sucking up as much of it as he could. "And I thought that between the two of us, I was the one who was into self-experimentation."

Sasori looked at him. "You don't have a monopoly on intelligence and willingness to sacrifice oneself for his work."

Orochimaru shrugged. "Perhaps not." He had what he wanted from Sasori, almost. He'd take the scroll Sasori made on how to create human-puppets when he actually left Akatsuki, everything else would just raise suspicion.

* * *

Getting a sample of the leader Pein was difficult at best, impossible would be closer to the truth. Orochimaru had tried to get it, but he had found out that the Rinnegan had the ability to raise the dead, as secondary bodies, which meant that genetic samples from anything but the original body would be worthless, as the Rinnegan wasn't part of the genetic information of that body. But if that was the case, how could the revived corpse have it? What was different from before the corpse was revived and afterwords? Then Orochimaru had an epiphany. The black piercings on the bodies, he had currently seen two, must be the key. Orochimaru remembered that he'd seen the leader wield similar-looking skewers, and decided to snatch one, just to see what it was.

Getting it was easy, as the leader left the broken ones and the ones that were stuck in his enemies corpses behind. A first analyze gave Orochimaru the answer he had sought. They were made of bio-mass, and while on first sight their main purpose seemed to be the disruption, a closer look revealed that they were receivers, sending their maker's chakra into whatever was stabbed, disrupting the the flow of chakra while opening the way for mental attacks with no way to hit back. But these spikes had to be made of the one that channeled the chakra, and while Orochimaru couldn't check if they had the Rinnegan, he was able to do a basic bloodline-test, and to his joy it came out positive. Six down, one to go, plus any potential other members that joined.

* * *

A hiss of pain escaped Orochimaru's lips when his short flight came to an abrupt end on a few trees. He, Sasori, Kakuzu and Kisame had been ordered to fight a boar-demon that was terrorizing villages, for a price, of course. But the damned thing was tougher than they'd expected. The original plan had been to poison it, which was why Sasori and Orochimaru were present, and then just give it a workout till it croaked, but the oversized bacon had decided to make things difficult, as it just refused to drop dead.

Sasori had retreated, saying that he didn't have anything but his poisons that would be effective against a boar the size of a whale, and that he had already pumped as much poison as was reasonable into the damned thing, and stated that anything else he had with him would not increase the speed of death by a single second.

Orochimaru knew that Sasori had a point, he himself had also pumped everything he thought might work into the pig, and the demon had started to stumble, but it was not happening fast enough for the Akatsuki's tastes. Orochimaru had been knocked back by the last charge of the boar, covering Kakuzu, who was peppering the oversized piece of ham with all elements, leaving heavy injuries. The battle was coming to a close.

Orochimaru jumped up and charged again, intent on getting vengeance for that involuntary flight-lesson. He would call Manda, but as a member of the Akatsuki he had a hard time getting subjects for his experiments as it was, gathering the sacrifices Manda required would be neigh-impossible. So for now, he was on his own. He jumped, narrowly avoiding the tusks, and plunged his sword into the demon's eye, before ordering it to extend. "I'll turn you into wammiri (food cooked by boiling)! _Katon: Yakuyaiba S__hokkuueibu__ no Jutsu!_"

The boar squeaked in agony as it was slowly boiled from the inside out, not to mention the blade going through its eye into the brain. Orochimaru jumped off, and the dying boar made a last-ditch effort to kill. It charged Kisame and thrusted its left tusk to his midsection. Kisame barely managed to raise Samehada in time to block the vicious attack. But the tusks were harder than he'd expected, as a few of the sword's scales were crushed, and one broke off and flew towards Orochimaru, who caught it inches before his eye.

Orochimaru curiously looked at the broken scale, knowing that everyone's attention was on the animal-like demon, who had finally dropped to its side and died. Out of curiosity, Orochimaru channeled a bit of chakra into his index-finger and scraped the scale over it. The effect was instantaneous. The chakra vanished from his finger, and the scale grew half a millimeter on an edge. Orochimaru smirked. Apparently, it was still alive, and Kisame obviously hadn't noticed anything. Orochimaru finally had what he wanted, after years of patient work, he had all the necessary ingredients, now he just needed to make it work.

For that, he needed a base, he had found something promising in Ta no Kuni, soon to be Oto no Kuni, although he'd keep a number of bases spread throughout the Elemental Nations. He had Kabuto, his best spy, but for waging war, numbers were essential, and having bloodline-soldiers would be even better. Kabuto had informed him that a young boy with a fascinating ability had contacted him, asking if Orochimaru, who despite his methods was known to get results, if he could be freed from his curse. What Kabuto had described was intriguing, especially if that 'curse' could be transferred to foot-soldiers, making them monstrous powerhouses. Orochimaru had in fact been working on a boost for his troops for a while, but without much success. Anko was the only survivor, but Orochimaru had lost interest in her when she had rejected him. The cursed seal just didn't work, but maybe Juugo's cells could change that. Little Juugo was god's way of telling Orochimaru that it would soon be time to leave Akatsuki, but not after he had a look at its newest member-to-be that the leader had told them would be there by the time they returned.

* * *

Orochimaru's eyes bulged. The new member was Itachi Uchiha! The man had fled Konoha after killing his entire clan sans his direct family, not counting the father. Orochimaru knew that the Uchiha were corrupt and lusting for power, traits he respected and liked about them, as it made them predictable. And now the man with the strength to kill an entire clan whose skills were at least similar to his own was a member of Ajatsuki, and therefor for Orochimaru to exploit. Apparently Itachi had awakened something that had been lost for generations, the legendary Mangekyo Sharingan. With Itachi, Akatsuki now had all the members the leader said they would need sans one, Orochimaru would only need to gather a piece of Itachi to be able to make a body that would unite Akatsuki's powers. The last member was still in the air, and the choice would probably take years Orochimaru could not spare. But to his dismay, Itachi was careful, and didn't trust Orochimaru at all, so it was impossible to get a sample. The young Uchiha was always eying him, waiting for him to do something that would give him an excuse to attack Orochimaru. And that gave said serpent an idea.

* * *

Orochimaru grasped his stump of an arm. His hand was on the floor, in front of Itachi's feet. Orochimaru had taken Sasori's scroll on human puppetry and fled. But Itachi had intercepted him and in a short but violent battle, he had put Orochimaru through his _Tsukiyomi_ after the Sannin had managed to give him a deep cut just below the cheekbone. Itachi had then used the involuntary freeze-up to sever Orochimaru's hand with the kunai that had scratched him.

He looked down on the snake-man. "All your tricks are useless before my eyes." He stated.

Orochimaru's eyes were filled with hatred. "Then I'll make those eyes mine!" With that, he opened his mouth and the long tongue shot at Itachi. Itachi jumped back, preparing for an attack, but the tongue merely wrapped around the hand and pulled it to Orochimaru. Who jumped back and started to retreat.

Itachi smirked. "If you're thinking about reattaching it, you're wasting your time. My blade is covered with a poison that decomposes flesh. By the time you're anywhere near a place with sufficient instruments for such a operation, all nerve-endings will have decomposed. That hand will never function again. Jutsu are forever out of your reach." That one would especially hurt, since everyone knew it was Orochimaru's dream to master all jutsu.

The man grimaced. "You underestimate me Itachi Uchiha, and that will be your downfall." Then he _shunshin_ed away.

Itachi returned to the lair and reported that Orochimaru had defected, and that it had cost him his hand.

Sasori was still upset. "I don't understand what Orochimaru would want with that scroll. All it does is explain how to make a human-puppet, something I decided to make should I ever have an apprentice, but for Orochimaru, it's useless. He's not a puppeteer, and even if he started to learn it now, he would never reach the level of skill necessary to fully utilize a human-puppet."

Konan rubbed her chin. "Orochimaru has the corpse of Salamander Hanzo, one of the few men he ever feared. Perhaps he wants to turn him into a weapon for himself?"

Sasori nodded. "Orochimaru is proud. I can believe that he would do that, and with such a high-specs puppet, he could reach the level of a good user, even if mastery of this art is out of his reach."

Hidan chuckled. "Well, now that he lost the hand, I'd say the fucktard would be mediocre at best."

Sasori looked at Hidan. "A true master of puppetry can move a puppet, or even multiple puppets, with a single finger. Also, if I know Orochimaru, then by some means, he'll regain that hand."

Pein shrugged. "That man was always a loose cannon, but his services were excellent. We shall deal with him another time, right now we have more important things to worry about. Also, I found an S-class shinobi who may take over Orochimaru's role as Sasori's partner. Itachi, you and Kisame, your new partner, will recruit him. Use force if necessary."

* * *

Orochimaru was in a wonderful mood. He had just encountered a blonde man with mouths on his hands that had the ability to form explosives out of clay. Orochimaru had been forced into a small skirmish, got a few strands of hair and some of the raw clay, and retreated, with the man being none the wiser.

He had sealed it away, just like he had sealed away everything else he took from Akatsuki, including the kunai with Itachi's blood. The man had actually believed that Orochimaru had used that move for his hand. No, it had been for the kunai in the hand, but Itachi would've suspected something if he had just taken it. 'All my tricks are useless before your eyes, huh Itachi? In the end, you fell for it after all. Granted, I hadn't expected it to cost me my hand, but that's a small price to pay for your blood. With your Sharingan, gaining all the world's jutsu will be much easier, so thank you very much.'

Orochimaru actually had more of Itachi's blood then the man had realized. The kunai Orochimaru used against him had been a special creation of his. There were small holes in the tip, and the interior of the blade was hollow, covered in stability- and vacuum-seals. When the blade had entered Itachi's flesh, the vacuum-seals activated and pulled blood out of his body. Not as much as Orochimaru would have liked, but any more and Itachi would have felt it. Now that he had all the ingredients, he'd find a suitable body, modify it to his needs and take it over. But first, it was time to leave the body he was born with, and move to something better. His perfect host wouldn't be ready that soon, but Orochimaru was a patient man. After all, he had all the time in the world.

* * *

Years passed. Orochimaru had conquered the body of a woman from Kusagakure, the finest sword-mistress the village had ever produced, she had been born with high chakra-levels as well, which was a plus, but Orochimaru had chosen her for her sword-skills, seeing that he retained the knowledge of the body's former inhabitant, and could take that knowledge and all skills with him, unless it was a kekkei genkai. The availability of the host's knowledge was vital, as without it, Orochimaru would be forced to go through extensive rehabilitation in order to get used to the new body. All in all, his jutsu was a success, and there were no signs of a rejection.

Juugo was everything Orochimaru had hoped he was and more. Orochimaru had no problems extracting the materials needed to research the effect, and was hoping that he would soon be able to transfer it to others safely.

He had also gained a number of followers, including the last Kaguya, Kimimaro. Unfortunately, that was were the good news ended.

He had found multiple candidates for his new host, used a solution he had created from Hidan's samples, which he had the most from, on them, and waited for the breakthrough. He had seen that his formula theoretically worked, as he had used the same method to give Juugo's abilities to others. It hadn't worked until Orochimaru weakened the solution, essentially reducing the transformation-capabilities to a single form. His first successes merely showed the patterns of their seals, giving them an increase in strength, speed and chakra, but failing to achieve his hope, since they died if forced to Level 2. After some experimentation, he had found a way to safely allow his subjects to reach Level 2. Unfortunately, his subjects had been stuck in their monster-form, but his research showed that that was due to lacking mental strength, not a mistake in the formula. Many went insane, and Orochimaru resorted to locking them up a outpost, intending to send Juugo there once the process was perfected. But with Hidan's solution, there were no survivors. He was enraged, yet after six failed experiments with fifty subjects per experiment, he decided to save the rest of Hidan's blood, which would not last much longer, and instead use Kimimaro. The boy's kekkei genkai was something he desired as well, and Kimimaro was only too willing to supply him with the needed materials. Orochimaru considered using him as a host should the process take longer than expected.

Yet the experiments with Kimimaro's solution didn't have any more success. Orochimaru was furious, and Kabuto, who had joined Orochimaru in his work and worked his way up to Orochimaru's right-hand-man, was working furiously to solve the problem before Orochimaru forgot himself and ended him.

* * *

Kabuto scratched his head, this wasn't good. Orochimaru-sama's patience was slowly wearing thin, and he had no results. It just didn't work, but he was too smart to tell that to his master. In the beginning, Kabuto had found it almost amusing that nobody survived becoming immortal, appreciating the irony, but now it was his own neck that was on the line. If it went on like this, Orochimaru might get the idea that an accelerated regeneration like his was needed in order to succeed. Kabuto had tried it, and for a moment, it seemed to have worked, but in the end it had failed as well.

There seemed to be one piece of the puzzle he was missing. How do you get someone to survive something that has a 100% chance of killing them? Where do you find a person that doesn't die, despite logic, experience, science and everything else saying it should? Then Kabuto remembered that he in fact did know such a person. He smiled. This may very well be the breakthrough he had been waiting for!

He hadn't finished his thoughts when Orochimaru entered, seemingly in a miserable mood. "How are things going?" He asked.

Kabuto shrugged. "The latest batch has died as well..." Orochimaru growled and reached for something. Kabuto didn't even want to know what it was, so he quickly continued "...but I have thought of something that has fairly good chances of working."

Orochimaru raised a brow. "I'm listening Kabuto. But your fate may ride on this, so choose your words carefully."

Kabuto nodded. "I have tried using accelerated regeneration to make it work, and the results were better than anything else we ever got. But it wasn't enough. So I had the idea to use someone who not only has a regeneration equal or even superior to what I can do, but also possesses something that doesn't let him die."

Orochimaru glared at him. "And where would we find such a person? What you described is a scientist's dream subject."

Kabuto nodded. "Where to find him? Perhaps in the last place you would look, Konoha."

Orochimaru snorted. "I would have taken such a person would he have existed there, I squeezed everything out of that village before I left, I even looked at Danzo's ROOT."

Kabuto smiled. "But what if that person hadn't been born then?"

Orochimaru's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean?" Then it dawned on him. "You're thinking of the Kyuubi-brat, aren't you?"

Kabuto nodded. "The demon will not allow him to die, and if it sees what we inject as the advantages that they are, it might even improve what we give."

Orochimaru nodded. "Yes, the brat would probably live, but what will we do once we injected it into him? Even if he gains the abilities, the demon would destroy me if I attempted to take over the child."

Kabuto shrugged. "Suppose that we extract the demon before the actual takeover."

Orochimaru frowned. "If a bijuu is extracted, the... jinchuuriki... Brilliant! With Hidan's power, he'd survive the extraction, and we could extract sperms for offspring just in case."

Kabuto nodded. "That has the highest chance of success from anything I came up with so far. I could probably easily convince the child to join us, seeing that Konoha is making his life hell."

Orochimaru chuckled. "Kukuku, yes, the most peaceful and kind of all villages, beating on an innocent child. We can't let that happen Kabuto, now can we?"

Kabuto smiled and pushed up his glasses. "Of course not, Orochimaru-sama. Shall I start gaining the boy's trust?"

Orochimaru shook his head. "I have no idea if the Akatsuki is still onto me, so time is of the essence. We don't need his cooperation, just bring me the child, we have to get started as soon as we can."

Kabuto bowed. "Understood."

* * *

The first chapter is done. This was actually going on in my head for a while, ever since I bothered to actually read through the entire profile of an author I highly respect for his skills at writing stories that to this day have never failed to fascinate me. When I read what dracohalo117 wrote as ideas up for grabs, I looked for things that interested me, and I did find one or two. But being the lazy fellow I am, I decided that I shouldn't make myself too much work, and left this as an idea in the back of my head. I should have known better. The idea started to grow and invade my mind at every given opportunity, so I eventually decided to just write a chapter and see if I like what I get. And I have to say, not too bad, if I do say so myself.

Onto a few story-related comments.

First of all, I know that Orochimaru's hosts have a tendency to reject him after a while, conveniently it starts to happen once he's able to move, but I think that started AFTER the Sandaime sealed away his arms. If you care to remember, Orochimaru's original hand is floating in a jar on his desk, so he obviously didn't reattach it after Itachi removed it. And I'm assuming that Orochimaru left Akatsuki more than three years before he attacked Konoha. I think that having part of your soul cut off doesn't heal easily, or at all for that matter. In my opinion, Orochimaru's jutsu allowed him to gradually absorb the soul of the other body, making it a part of him and completely replacing it with his own. After his encounter with the Shinigami, Orochimaru was using the host's soul, under his control, to move the arms. However, since the original soul was gradually absorbed, the soul-arms of the host faded and there were no soul-arms from Orochimaru to replace them, so they did what bodies without souls tend to do, they died off. Or something worse that I can't explain happened, like they died and rotted, but Orochimaru could still feel it.

And I know that in the original idea from dracohalo117, Orochimaru took the stuff he wanted when he left, but I don't think that's plausible. Stealing from one S-rank ninja I'll believe, even two or three if you get lucky, but from nine? Who are usually spread out through all continents? In one night? Sorry, I'm not buying it.

As for pairings, I haven't decided yet, so I'm open for suggestions.

Regarding the jutsu I use in my fic. I will explain every jutsu I create, but I'm too lazy to explain the ones I take from canon. If you want to know what they do, please go to Narutopedia, that's where I look for them.

_Katon: Yakuyaiba Shokkuueibo no Jutsu_ (Fire Release: Boiling Blade Shockwave Technique)

Rank: A

Range: Short (0-5m) Middle (5-10m) Long (10m+)

Type: Offensive

This jutsu is a technique that is based on the sort-ranged B-rank jutsu _Katon: Yakuyaiba no Jutsu_, which heats a sword up to temperatures proportional to how much chakra is being pumped into the blade, and how much it can take. The advanced version creates a shockwave that raises the temperature of whatever it touches to the temperature of the blade. Usually used on weapons that have pierced the enemy to boil them from the inside out. It is to note that despite being a Fire release, actual flames appear at no point of either jutsu.

I said enough for now, so

Please Review


	2. First Experiments

Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't, have never or will never own Naruto, as much as I'd like to.

* * *

Naruto glanced behind him. It was October 10th, his 8th birthday, and he was spending it like all previous birthdays, running for dear life. He didn't understand why he was so hated, but he had noticed that people treated him like trash. They overcharged him or simply refused to sell him anything, they would take their children away when he approached a playground, they muttered curses and insults whenever he was near, and what hurt Naruto the most, they looked at him as if he were some sort of freak. No, what really hurt the most was the annual mob that gathered and chased him through the village to beat him to a pulp.

By now, he knew Konoha like the back of his hand and used every trick in the book to escape, usually with success. He'd then return in the evening, clean up his trashed apartment and life would go on. But first, he had to escape.

Usually, he didn't have to do much, he'd simply run through alleys, squeezing his body through holes that were too small for adults to fit through. But this time, they were more stubborn. There was a man with strange white eyes who always seemed to see him, no matter where he hid. The only way Naruto could explain it was that the man knew the alleys just as well as he did. This would make escape difficult. But he wasn't a prankster for nothing.

In the next few minutes, he shook most of his pursuers with an array of basically harmless traps. Garbage dropped on them when they tripped over wires, a short tug on a hidden string loosed a avalanche of empty plastic-bottles. The most nasty one was a hive of bees in a barrel that he rolled towards the pursuers, followed by a few doses of itching powder. Eventually, he ran around a corner, then hid behind a dumpster while the remaining twenty mob-members ran past it. He sighed in relief and crawled out behind the dumpster, only to look the white-eyed man and two friends. Naruto noticed that the other two wore Konoha-headbands, and his heart sank. He knew he wasn't good enough to escape those for long, but he could at least try!

He had just jumped up when white-eyes slapped three spots on his body and Naruto felt his legs buckle beneath him. He couldn't move his legs! And he had trouble breathing as well. He was so screwed.

White-eyes looked at the others. "I have to return to the compound. Do whatever you want with the demon."

The other two nodded. "Sure, thanks for your help, we'll keep him _entertained_."

Then white-eyes was gone, and the other two gave dark chuckles. Naruto desperately tried to stand, but it was no use. The men started by kicking him in the ribs with enough force to slam him against the wall.

* * *

Kabuto pushed up his glasses. He was not a tracker, or a sensory-type for that matter. He should have asked to bring that new girl Orochimaru found, Karin was her name, to accompany him. While she didn't have a sample of his chakra that would normally be needed for a sensor to look for a person, it couldn't be that hard to find a child with more chakra than an ANBU that had traces of demonic energy to boot. But Orochimaru had been in a miserable mood because of the repeated failures, and Kabuto had decided it was best not to test his master's patience. And just calling out for him wouldn't be smart, since he would have a bit of trouble explaining to anyone who heard him what he wanted with a boy he had never met, and the boy wouldn't have shown up, not today. The boy wasn't brain-dead, so if he heard anyone call his name on October 10th, the last thing he'd do was answer. No, he'd probably look for a better hiding spot. Frustrated, Kabuto gave the wagon he was dragging behind him a kick.

Suddenly a peculiar smell reached Kabuto's nose. He'd smelled it for a while now, but had ignored it since he was used to it. But now he remembered that he wasn't with Orochimaru but in Konoha, and Konoha didn't smell like blood, and neither did the wagon he was carrying. Well, at least not that strong. He followed the scent into an alley, and nearly panicked at what he saw.

There was the kid he'd been looking for, nailed to the wall by a number of blades. His limbs were carved open, and there were a few kunai shoved into his neck to keep him from screaming. The two men had obviously used him as a target for their shuriken-practice. But what alarmed Kabuto was not that they had cut him open and stabbed his innards, but that they seemingly prepared to finish him off, as one had pulled a dagger and aimed at Naruto's heart. Kabuto's eye twitched in anger. He would so not go back to Orochimaru empty-handed! Before either man had a chance to react, he had pulled out two scalpels and sliced the first man's throat while he rammed the second one into the other guy's brains though the eye. Then he carefully removed the blades that nailed Naruto up first, before pulling out the other ones. He was fascinated when he saw that the boy's internals started to heal as soon as the objects were gone.

Kabuto decided that while the boy would probably be completely healed in a minute, it couldn't hurt if he sped things up. After all, he really didn't want to be seen with two corpses. Then again, he might have a use for them. He sealed up the first body, then unceremoniously pulled out the scalpel out of the other man's head. He didn't flinch when the eye came out with the blade, and Kabuto simply flicked it into the dumpster before sealing the second body away. Then he focused on healing Naruto.

* * *

Naruto opened his eyes, and looked into a pair of other eyes that blinked in surprise. Naruto jumped back, but immediately felt wobbly and went down to one knee. The boy pushed up his glasses and raised his open hands, the universal gesture for 'See, I don't have a weapon.' Then he spoke. "I didn't think you'd wake up this fast. After what you've been through, I honestly expected you to be out cold for at least half a week."

Naaruto blinked, what was this guy talking about? Then he remembered the two men and looked around with a panicked expression. The boy noticed that.

"Don't worry, those men are gone. By the way, my name is Kabuto."

Naruto nodded. "I'm Naruto Uzumaki. So, you convinced the men to leave me alone?"

Kabuto blinked and scratched his cheek. "Uh, sure, let's go with that. How do you feel?"

Naruto looked down at himself. "A little shaky, but otherwise fine. Did you heal me?"

Kabuto nodded. "Yes I did, but you seem to heal pretty good on your own."

Naruto scratched his head. He had always healed fast. "I guess I do. Thanks for helping me."

Kabuto smiled. "You're probably exhausted and hungry. Here, it's not much, but have a bento." He pulled out a half-eaten lunchbox.

Naruto nodded and started eating. It was pretty good, and Naruto finished it in under fifteen seconds. He grinned at Kabuto. "Thanks. Nobody ever gave me something just to be nice."

Kabuto's smile suddenly looked a bit sad. "Sadly, that didn't change, since I didn't either. Sorry kid, but better you than me."

Naruto looked at him. "What are... you..." He noticed that everything turned dark. His last thought that he shouldn't have dropped his guard and judged the meal as safe just because it looked like someone had been eating it. Then he was gone.

* * *

Kabuto almost felt bad for the kid, but he had no choice. And besides, he was excited to find out what would happen in the experiments. Now he had to smuggle Naruto out of Konoha, which was pretty easy. That's why he had brought the corpse-wagon.

The corpse-wagon was a peculiarity of Konoha. Konoha didn't bury its dead inside of the walls, but outside beneath trees, so that the dead may become part of the forest that protects their village. The corpse-wagon Kabuto was pulling belonged to the hospital, and they sent it out when patients died in operations or were simply brought here for autopsies before they were buried. That was true for everyone but the Hokage, who was laid to rest in a special shrine with his predecessors by a few trustworthy shinobi who never even whispered the place to outsiders. It had taken Orochimaru years to find the place, since the two trustworthys that he had caught had refused to speak, even under torture. But that wasn't important right now. Fortunately for Kabuto, a old man had recently breathed his last breath in the hospital, and Kabuto had volunteered for the job.

Nobody had been suspicious, since while the work was something so harsh that it was used as punishment, the younger generations saw it as a fantastic dare. All alone in a dark forest filled with wild animals. The only companion a corpse. So everyone had simply thought that Kabuto had been dared to do it.

Getting out was easy enough, the patrols checked his ID and let him go. Nobody expected him to be back for a few days, since the corpse would have to be buried at least five-to-ten miles away, and the wagon wasn't fast. Also there were a few ceremonies that had to be done. Kabuto waited until he was far away from the village, then he loaded the unconscious Naruto out of the cart, put him in a sack and sealed up the whole wagon. Now he could run with the unconscious bundle over his shoulders and quickly reached the meeting-point. From there, he would use a few underground shortcuts to quickly reach Orochimaru before the tranquilizer wore off.

* * *

Orochimaru was impatiently waiting for Kabuto. The test-solution with Kimimaro's DNA was ready and waiting for the test-subject, and so was Orochimaru. Finally, the door opened and Kabuto stepped in, a promising bundle on his shoulders. "Did you succeed?"

Kabuto dropped the bundle, pulled off the sack and a unconscious Naruto Uzumaki dropped to the floor. "Of course Orochimaru-sama."

Said Sannin nodded. "Good. Then let's begin the experiment."

Kabuto nodded, removed Naruto's clothes, placed a oxygen-mask on his face, stuck a heart-rate-detector to his chest, placed a catheter into his arm that was long enough for him and Orochimaru to inject the solutions and nourishment from the outside and tossed him into the prepared tank filled with a clear liquid. Then he injected the first solution. Now all they could do is wait. From their past experiments, Kabuto deduced that they would have to wait half an hour before something happened. Usually then the subjects croaked, but Kabuto was hoping that that didn't happen here, or he'd be in a lot of trouble and a world of hurt. They left long before Naruto's body started to thrash.

* * *

Kabuto had decided to wait an hour, so that the changes had more time to take place. When he entered, the first thing he heard was the calming peeping of the machine, telling Kabuto that Naruto's heart was still beating. But he decided to take a blood-sample and checked if Naruto now had the _Shikotsumyaku_ or if the fox had chosen the easy way out and simply burned the solution out of the boy's system. That had been his greatest worry, especially since he didn't share it with Orochimaru beforehand. If this went wrong, then Kabuto would have put Konoha on high alert for nothing.

"Come on Naruto, don't let me down now." He muttered as he took the blood. He immediately started to analyze it, while repeatedly muttering "Please have it, please have it, please have it, please..."

Then he got the result. "YES!"

* * *

Sarutobi had called a full council-meeting. The clan-heads and civilians had gathered, albeit reluctantly. Hiashi spoke first. "Hokage-sama, why have you called us?"

Sarutobi looked at him. "I sent my ANBU out to make sure that this is correct, and they have confirmed my suspicion. Naruto Uzumaki is no longer inside of Konoha."

The only ones who looked thunderstruck were Ichiraku and Danzo. The clan-heads took the situation neutrally, while the civilians openly smiled. One merchant spoke up. "Thank you for bringing us the good news Hokage-sama, but you could have just publicly declared it."

Another shop-owner nodded. "True. Eight years ago, the demon was sealed and now it has left for good."

Danzo face-palmed. Then he looked at Sarutobi. "Could we have details?"

Sarutobi nodded. "Of course, that's why I called the meeting. One of our ANBU-patrols noticed a large amount of fresh blood in a side-road in the third district. He took samples and they showed to be of three different people. The majority of the blood was from Naruto Uzumaki, but there were two others. We have made a head-count and found that two of our chunin are missing. We have determined that the blood is theirs."

The first merchant jumped up. "So the demon murdered them and hid their bodies?!"

Sarutobi shook his head. "From the clotting of the blood, we have determined that Naruto bled first. By the time that the former chunin's blood was spilled, he would have been far to weak to do anything. And you've insulted every ninja in this room and their clans, by suggesting that they would not be able to notice that they would not be able to notice if a sufficient amount of demonic energy to defeat two chunin were released."

The merchant looked around and noticed that all clan-heads were indeed glaring at him, especially the ones who prided themselves as trackers. He gulped. "So those honorable chunin tried to purge the demon and were killed by one of his demonic servants."

Hiashi looked at him, something akin to pity in his eyes. "You're making a fool out of yourself. If the boy had demonic servants, why did he never use them in the eight years that he lived here? According to some reports, he can barely keep his apartment clean, and he has been beaten every year."

Danzo bit his lip. "I find the most likely scenario that those two chunin attacked Uzumaki and tortured him, which is not unheard of. Then someone else appeared, killed the chunin, got rid of their bodies and abducted Uzumaki. I suggest we send a group of our hunter-nin as a search-party, seeing that whoever took him obviously has the skill to take out two chunin without anyone noticing."

Sakuya Haruno jumped up. "We are trying to get the d-" She noticed Sarutobi's gaze, which had grown very cold and corrected herself mid-sentence "damned boy back? After we're finally rid of him? Why?"

Sarutobi's old teammates nodded, but Danzo rose from his seat. "Stupid woman. That child holds the strongest bijuu in existence. Do you even understand the concept behind jinchuuriki? You take a demon of uncontrollable power and seal him inside a human. The difference between sealing it in a human or sealing it in an object is simple. An object locks the power away. A human gives you the possibility to control the demon's power. Just because the boy can't control the demon yet, doesn't mean he won't learn it in the future. And now an enemy has him, and can train him to serve him. That means he could train him to destroy Konoha. If that doesn't work, he could simply bring Uzumaki close to Konoha and break the Yondaime's seal. Then the Kyuubi would be free and I doubt it has forgotten us. Do you really wish for a repeat of what happened eight years ago?"

Sakuya shivered, but she remained strong. "We have the Hokage and Jiraya, our greatest seal-master and teacher of the Yondaime. Now that it has been done once, it would be easy for the two of them to seal it away once more."

Shibi Aburame spoke, for the first time. "Presuming it were possible, we have already learned that the Kyuubi can only be sealed into a child. Where would we find such a child?"

Shikaku snorted. "He's right. After what happened to Naruto Uzumaki, nobody will offer their child for such a sealing. Why should they? So that they can see their child beaten and be shunned for giving birth to a demon? Or perhaps we mistook Sakuya and she was volunteering her child for such a sealing should the Kyuubi show up in front of our gate right now?"

Sakuya paled. She would never give Sakura away to have the demon sealed inside of her. But she understood one thing. Why should any parent feel other than she did? They were right, even if they could get the seal, they wouldn't have a vessel. Not even orphans were an option, since the orphanages had the right to deny usage of the children under their supervision.

Shikaku took her silence as an answer. "I didn't think so. Hokage-sama, I can't believe I'm saying this, but I support Danzo's suggestion."

Sarutobi nodded. "Any objections?" There were none. Everyone was far too frightened by the idea of Kyuubi appearing again to object. Sarutobi looked around. "Very well, the hunter-nin will be dispatched immediately."

* * *

Orochimaru looked at Kabuto, expecting positive news. "And?" He asked.

Kabuto smiled. "He survived. I checked his blood, just in case, and the results are positive. He has the bloodline."

Orochimaru smiled. "Excellent. We'll give him a day to recover, then we'll inject the first sample."

Kabuto nodded. "Which sample will we use first? Hidan's?"

Orochimaru frowned. "No. The Kyuubi helps our procedure because he might die with his host otherwise. If we make him immortal now, it might not support any further changes, choosing to wait it out instead. We'll begin with that Iwa-nin's, Deidara was his name I believe, sample. By the way, have you found out anything about that clay he used?"

Kabuto shrugged. "I analyzed it, but honestly, I was wasting my time. It's ordinary sculpting clay, although a very expensive one, nothing special about it. I'd theorize that any clay or even simple mud would work as well, but I really can't say without further research."

Orochimaru nodded. "If you were correct, that would be even better, since it would mean that I'd have an unlimited supply of explosives. But you have to be patient for your experiments, I don't plan on pulling Naruto out of that tank anytime soon. He'll get out when we train him, not sooner. In any case, return to Konoha so that nobody catches suspicion, return once it's safe for you to do so."

Kabuto bowed. "Understood."

* * *

Sarutobi looked outside his window. It had been a week, and there was still no news about Naruto. The hunter-nins had swarmed, but they had to return empty-handed. There were no traces of the boy, and nobody had seen a blonde child with whisker-marks. The reaction of his village had been a disappointment as well. They had started an extended celebration in response to Naruto's disappearance, setting his apartment on fire and destroying anything that belonged to him.

The Ichiraku's, Konoha's best ramen-shop, had closed for the duration of the celebration and openly refused to serve those who celebrated. One of the men who had tried to get served on the first day of celebration had openly stated that on such a happy day, they deserved some good ramen to celebrate the demon's disappearance. Ichiraku's daughter Ayame had swiftly reacted by taking a pot with still hot oil and poured its content over the man's head, before grabbing a hot frying pan and ordering everybody to leave within ten seconds, or else.

While that reaction warmed Sarutobi's old heart, he was still bitterly disappointed. Reactions like that should have been the rule, not the exception. Even Kakashi had taken the information with a shrug, although he had started to drink more, and seemed a lot more willing to punch people in the face. Everyone had their own way of dealing with grief.

The only other person to truly miss the blond was Hinata Hyuuga. The young heir had liked the boy for a while, ever since he actually managed to prank the entire Hyuuga-clan and taken his punishment with a smile. She had locked herself up in her room and refused to open it for anyone.

Perhaps it was time to send Kushina a long-overdue letter, asking her for forgiveness for lying to her about her son. The results of that action would probably be ugly, but he couldn't take the guilt of lying to her any longer. He had kept quiet because at the time, Kushina's mental state after hearing about her husband's death had been questionable, and she might have been a danger to her child. Although he seriously doubted that Kushina would see it that way.

Sarutobi grabbed for his pipe. God knew he needed it right now.

* * *

It had taken almost a month for Kabuto to return to Orochimaru. In the meantime, the Sannin had injected three more samples into Naruto. The next time Kabuto saw him in his tank, the boy had mouths on his hands, his closed eyes were now rippled, and his flesh consisted of a number of black threads.

Contrary to his former comments, Orochimaru had taken Naruto out of his tank a few times, after every procedure to be exact, to analyze him. He had also brought Karin, who had started to gain interest in medical research, to better evaluate his chakra-flow. Orochimaru had discovered that while Naruto seemed to consist of nothing but threads, eyes, a heart, a brain and the two mouths on his palms, he still had a skeleton, which was much tougher than a normal human's. He deduced that it had something to do with the formally injected bloodline of Kimimaro. The Kyuubi's seal had wandered to the boy's heart and engraved itself there, probably to avoid being destabilized by the constant mutations.

The girl, Karin, had noted that Naruto's chakra flowed in completely different patterns every time they injected something new. At first, new chakra-coils had developed in his arms, hands and palms to support the required energy for the new mouths. Then the coils around his eyes had thickened, to allow the Rinnegan to function. And now that he consisted of threads, the chakra in his body seemed unpredictable, sine there no longer were real coils. Karin had found it fascinating.

Kabuto on the other hand was worried. This was all proceeding too fast for his likes. They had no idea what exactly was happening, and Kabuto was honestly worried that Naruto's body would eventually be unable to keep up with the required mutations at this pace. He had shared that worry with Orochimaru, asking him to slow the pace of new injections, but the Sannin waved him off. Apparently, he could hardly wait to have the perfect body, since he wanted to train the boy a bit before he claimed him as his own.

Still, Kabuto had a bad feeling. And he would be proven right.

* * *

They had injected Konan's sample into him two hours ago, and Kabuto came to check on Naruto. The moment he entered, he felt that something was not right. The machine showed that the boy's heart-rate was much higher than it should be, but still within acceptable bounds. Still, Kabuto felt that something was wrong and he looked into the tank. At first sight, he couldn't see anything out of the ordinary and turned to take a blood sample, when he noticed a anomaly. The liquid around Naruto's right knee was a bit murky. Since that knee was facing away from Kabuto, he walked around the tank to see what was wrong... and he froze.

A portion of skin on the knee, as big as Kabuto's palm, was missing. A few threads were in the water, showing the naked bone. But what shocked Kabuto was that both the threads and the bone looked to be decomposing! And unlike any previous experiments, the wound was not instantly shrinking. Kabuto suspected that it was in fact getting bigger, just too slow to see it with the naked eye. He ran towards Orochimaru's chambers.

* * *

Orochimaru was currently discussing medical ideas with Karin, who showed a remarkable talent in that field of expertise, when Kabuto barged into the room, clearly agitated. Orochimaru frowned at him. "What is it Kabuto?"

Kabuto took a second to take a breath, then he answered, panic in his voice. "Orochimaru-sama, it's... Naruto. He's... decomposing!"

Orochimaru's eyes widened. "WHAT?!"

* * *

Kabuto's hunch had been correct. In his short absence, the hole in Naruto's knee had widened half a millimeter. A short calculation gave him the result that they had roughly four days until he had completely decomposed, and only two days to save his life. Orochimaru was fuming.

"What is going on?" He shouted.

Kabuto shrugged. "I don't know yet, I informed you as soon as I saw the damage. Karin, what is going on in him chakra-wise?"

Karin focused, and shuddered at the demonic feeling. "An enormous amount of Kyuubi's chakra is flowing into his knee. As far as I can tell, it's trying to repair the damage. But the chakra of the cells is too chaotic for me to tell clearly what's wrong, but it feels like the internal chakra is shredding the cells, and doing it faster than Kyuubi can heal. Without that healing factor, he'd probably be dead by now, and nothing but a murky cloud in the tank in ten minutes, tops."

Orochimaru let loose killing intent that left the other two on the floor. "How and especially _why_ is this happening? And how can we fix it?"

Kabuto focused. "Orochimaru-sama, we have to take samples and analyze before we can make a deduction. With the current speed of decomposition, we have two days to save Naruto."

The killing intent vanished and Kabuto and Karin could stand. "Then you two better not waste any time. I want results!"

Kabuto and Karin glanced at each other, then they hurried to pull Naruto out of the tank to take samples.

* * *

"Karin, have a look at this!" Kabuto said, looking up from a microscope. Karin, who despite all her talent simply didn't have the experience to discover the problem and was literally in tears, wiped her face clean and hurried to the bespectacled boy. She looked into the microscope.

The cells were twisting, bending, contracting and stretching, all at the same time. Eventually the individual cells couldn't resist the strain and popped. She looked at Kabuto. "It looks like they're trying to do too many different things at once without being able to handle the strain. What could have caused it?"

Kabuto scratched his head. "Let's see. He was fine the last time we checked, so what changed between then and now?"

Karin frowned. "We injected a new sample into him. Do you think his body couldn't adapt to it?"

Kabuto shook his head. "No. if he can survive having the kekkei genkai of the Kaguya, that alters the entire body, injected, there's no reason why he wouldn't be able to adapt to any other one."

Karin sighed in frustration. "We injected a sample that should turn his body into paper. At which step is the problem?" She drew a few sketches of how a body's transformation to paper would probably work, how his skin and internals dissolved into thin sheets. Kabuto glanced at her sketching with modest interest, then he froze. His eyes widened.

"That's it!" He stated.

Karin looked at him. "What's what?"

Kabuto pointed at her sketches. "The mistake you made in those sketches are probably the reason for our problem!"

Karin frowned. "Mistake? I find my work plausible."

Kabuto nodded. "Yes, on a normal person, it would probably look like that. But Naruto is not a normal person!"

Karin looked at her sketches, then her eyes widened. "Naruto doesn't have internal organs and flesh. His body transformed it into black threads." She whispered.

Kabuto eagerly nodded. "Yes, and now his cells are getting contradicting orders. 'Transform into thread.' is met by 'Transform into sheets of paper.' The cells are trying to do both, but they can't, so they destroy themselves while trying."

Karin nodded. "That sounds correct. But that leaves one question."

* * *

"How are you going to fix it?" Orochimaru asked. Kabuto and Karin glanced at each other.

Finally Karin spoke. "We went through multiple scenarios, but most didn't work since it's impossible to extract the solution to undo the damage. After much debate, we came up with a solution that _might_ work."

Orochimaru raised a brow. "And what would that be?"

Kabuto gulped. "We inject him with Juugo's DNA."

Orochimaru frowned. "You say the problem is that the cells can't mutate into multiple things, and your solution is to add one more thing to turn into?"

Karin swallowed her fear. "Let us explain, Orochimaru-sama. Juugo is unique since his flesh can constantly mutate into anything he wants. If we add that as a buffer, then Naruto's flesh should be able to change into threads, then into the mutating flesh and then into paper. He would not be able to transform completely into both at the same time, but it should work."

Orochimaru nodded. "We have the genetic material, but it will take a day to change it into a solution we can inject. Let us start immediately."

* * *

They had work as fast as they could, and Juugo's samples had been surprisingly unwilling to turn into the desperately needed solution, but in the end they had managed. Now they were in the room with Naruto's tank.

The boy had decomposed all the way to the hip, the decomposition on his left side reaching the three lowest ribs. His fingers had also halfway eroded away by now. Kabuto injected the solution, since the arm with the catheter was thankfully still intact.

Karin frowned. "Nothing's happening."

Kabuto took a deep breath. "It takes a while for the solution to spread through the body. In an hour or two, we should be able to see results." 'Good ones or bad ones.' Kabuto mentally added, but was smart enough to keep his mouth shut.

An hour later, when he entered the room again, Kabuto was greeted with a most fortunate sight. Naruto was peacefully floating in his tank, completely intact. Kabuto felt utterly relieved. His head was safe.

* * *

Orochimaru had learned from that near-disaster, and said he would wait with the next solution for at least two months. In the meantime, they would study the samples they took to see if there was anything unusual that might endanger his future host. But everything seemed in order, Juugo's samples actually improving the entire design. Naruto now had internals and chakra-coils once again, though they were not desperately needed, and his chakra had actually calmed some. That had actually solved a potential problem Orochimaru had seen with Hidan's gift. The man reflected damage to his opponents, how would Orochimaru damage the opponent's internals if he himself had none? But now Naruto had internals when he needed them, so that was no longer an issue.

Two months had passed without any sort of problem, so Orochimaru decided it was time for the next shot. But just to be careful, he had chosen the sample of the only Akatsuki-member that had no physical anomalies, Sasori. The process had gone without a hitch, and Karin confirmed that something had changed. Naruto's chakra was now completely calm, flowing through his body like a strong current, but without a single obstruction or chakra-spike. His control would most likely be light-years above what it was before. Orochimaru smirked.

"Since we will make longer breaks between giving him the injections, we should begin to train him. Puppetry is not a kekkei genkai, so I want him to master it as soon as possible. They learn better when they start young."

Kabuto nodded. Honestly, he was itching to find out what the boy could do. They had already organized a number of puppets, and materials for human-puppets, together with a few corpses of mid-class shinobi. They wouldn't give away a precious corpse until they knew that it would be a success.

Kabuto looked at Karin, who had been ordered to take care of Naruto together with him. "This will probably be quite tiring."

Karin raised a brow. "Why? All we have to do is teach him how to form chakra-strings, and give him motivation for figuring the rest out."

Kabuto sighed. "That would work, right up to the point where we want him to make a human-puppet."

Karin tilted her head. "Why, we give him the scroll and wait till self-preservation makes him overcome any morals of cutting up corpses."

Kabuto face-palmed. "The boy was a pariah in his village, what on earth makes you think he can read?"

Karin gaped. "The kid is nine, and he can't read?"

"He was eight when he was awake the last time." Kabuto reminded her.

She groaned. "Great, so we have to teach him how to read?"

Kabuto shrugged. "Looks like it. But for now, we have to get him out and wake him up."

They pulled him out of the tank, removed the mask that had supplied oxygen and a tranquilizer. Kabuto grimaced. "Remind me to request that this thing is cleaned more often. It hasn't been off once since we originally put it on. A few more months, and the airhole would probably have grown shut." He dropped it.

Karin took five steps back. "Eew. Kabuto, please clean his face. Without the Kyuubi, he probably would have died from infection by now. I'll wait for you in his designated training-room. Looks like I'll have to get some books too. Some stuff for beginners, but the majority will be medical texts, they'll be better when he reads the scroll anyways."

Kabuto waved his acknowledgment and carried Naruto to get washed and dressed.

When he brought Naruto, now dressed in a simple shirt and pants, into the designated room, Karin was already waiting for him. Kabuto dropped Naruto on the makeshift bed, a pile of hay. Then they started discussing what they'd do with the boy. Orochimaru wanted results, but he wouldn't get those if the boy couldn't read the instructions.

They're thoughts were interrupted by a groan. They turned their heads and saw Naruto twitch. Then, for the first time in over a year, Naruto Uzumaki opened his eyes.

* * *

Chapter 2 is done. Didn't take as long as I thought it would, but I'm not complaining.

And yes, Naruto will learn puppetry, an make good use of that skill, but it won't be all he uses, nor will it be his first weapon of choice. He goes up close and personal, and if he feels that doesn't work the way he wants to, he pulls out the support. He'll also need a while to turn his human-puppets into true combat-puppets, as Orochimaru is not dumb enough to let Naruto build puppets with all the little gadgets and traps, just so the boy uses them for a jail-break.

About the two additions to Naruto's gene-pool, I find it only logical that Orochimaru would first use Kimimaro's DNA, since he wanted his bloodline anyways, before using up precious and limited Akatsuki-materials. And while I firmly believe that Juugo's mutating flesh is necessary to combine all of Akatsuki's powers in one host, that doesn't mean he'll fight like Juugo, permanently changing his form. To this point, I have no plan of making any mutation on Naruto that is not caused by Akatsuki- or in rare cases Kimimaro-DNA.

And one think that wasn't clear in the first chapter. What I wrote was Orochimaru's plan, not necessarily what will happen. I'll say this much, Naruto will not be grateful to Orochimaru or even remotely like the man. And since some mentioned Hinata going to Orochimaru for Naruto, how the hell is she supposed to find him? It's not like Orochimaru stampedes into Konoha in the middle of rush-hour, grabs Naruto from the crowded street and runs. Nobody knows where Naruto is, and those that do remain silent.

And to those wondering, I still haven't decided on any pairings, but I'm always open for suggestion.

Not that much to say right now, so onto my reviewers.

To dracohalo117: I truly respect you, but Orochimaru stealing 'objects of great power' from all nine Akatsuki within the span of a few moths or even years seems even more unlikely to me. The people are S-rank Missing-nin, don't you think they would have noticed their stuff was gone? And the culprit would be pretty obvious if there's only one person in their merry round that hasn't lost anything precious. And if these objects were really that powerful, don't you think the Akatsuki would have tried to get their stuff back, especially if they know that Orochimaru the mad has it? The only reason my Sasori didn't go after his scroll was that he doesn't think it'll do Orochimaru any good, since he's too old to truly master puppetry, and would waste a lot of time trying to learn it, time which he can't use to plot or put evil plans in motion.

To Jnottle: I agree. The Akatsuki may be good, courtesy of yours truly and dracohalo117's instructions, but I have no intention of making them lovey-dovey tree-huggers. In my opinion, goodish would be more precise than actually good.

To crazymexican: You'll see.

To noshadowone: Sorry, Naruto will have the mouths, since I have some plans with them that actually go a bit beyond the clay-eating part, but Naruto will keep it closed most of the time, and with a few tricks, nobody will notice them if Naruto doesn't want them to.

To ^ ^: Technically yes, Hidan's immortally is due to his religion, but even in Narutopedia, they say that not every Jashinist is immortal, and that Hidan is special. They also say he looses his immortality if he goes on a certain time without killing, but that will not be so in my fic.

To Gallantmon of the Hazard: I haven't decided on any pairings yet, so it's possible.

To matrice: Yes, Orochimaru loves scemes, although he is willing to instantly change his plans if new circumstances arrise, adapting to the envirement, so to say. So he is both careful scemer and spontanious, depending on the situation.

For now I said all I wanted to, so

Please Review


	3. Awakening and training

Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

* * *

Naruto slowly opened his eyes. He was in a room that seemed literally split. It seemed friendly at first, it was clean, the colors were bright and the straw he was laying on was better than some of the other things he had used as beds, especially the one in the orphanage with all the springs that Naruto had noticed were regularly sharpened sticking out. The dark part of the room was the far end, since instead of a wall with a door, all there was were bars that seemed to glow. He was in a prison.

"How do you feel?" A voice asked. Naruto turned his head and saw two people sitting on chairs. One was a girl roughly his age with glasses and long red hair, the other one was that Kabuto that had knocked him out. How long had he been out? A few hours, a day, or more? If he only knew.

Another weird thing was that both were surrounded by a weird haze. The girl's haze seemed to be sizzling, while Kabuto's was somewhat strained. He looked at them. "Where am I? Why are there glowing bars on the wall? And what is that stuff around you?"

The two looked at each other with raised brows. Then Kabuto spoke. "I'll answer your first and second question later, although I might add that the bars are not glowing. As for your third question, it's called air. We breathe it. Aside from that, there's nothing there. Do you see something else?"

Naruto looked at them as if they had lost their minds, though it was hard to tell with the emotionless eyes of the Rinnegan. "Um, only the weird mist-thing surrounding you two. How can you not see it, it's right in front of you. A second ago, yours seemed kinda strained while hers," He pointed at the girl "was sizzling or boiling or something like that. Now both of yours are just going in swirls."

The two looked at each other again, another unseen conversation going between them. Then Karin spoke. "Since I'm a sensor, I can tell that there's chakra in the bars from the seals, and that we are surrounded by our chakra. Maybe that's what you're seeing?"

Naruto looked at her. "I could never see chakra, so why now? And who are you? Why am I here?"

Karin blinked. "That's right, I haven't introduced myself yet, have I? My name is Karin, you already know Kabuto. We're working for someone, I doubt you've heard of him, his name is Orochimaru."

Naruto frowned. "No, doesn't ring a bell. Again, why am I here?" He tried to jump up, but he misjudged the length of his legs and fell to the floor.

Karin looked at Kabuto. They'd have to teach him how to walk as well? Then again, the boy had grown with the nutrients he received, and he hadn't moved for over a year. It was no wonder that his brain hadn't adjusted to the longer limbs yet. Hell, it was amazing that his muscles still functioned this well after a year in a tank.

Kabuto sighed. "You shouldn't try to move that much, you've been out for a while and your mind needs to adjust to your body. As for why you're here, it's kinda complicated. For now, all you need to know is that you have to stay here a while, and that Karin and I are going to teach you a few things, reading amongst them."

Karin looked at Kabuto. "You're forgetting medicine and anatomy. He'll learn the basics of that, as he'll need it later."

Kabuto shrugged, bored. "I know, I know. But lets not get ahead of ourselves. First he has to learn to read, and how to form chakra-strings."

Naruto looked at the two people. "So, you plan on teaching me? Why?"

The two shared a look, and a sweatdrop. Kabuto cleared his throat. "Let's just say we're under orders to turn you into a shinobi, and you'll gain the ability of a puppeteer, a rare but very useful talent."

Naruto raised a brow. "Puppets? How is that supposed to help?" He had concluded that in his current situation, there was no way out for him. If he wanted to get out, he'd have to go along with their plans and look for a good chance to escape. He didn't know it, but Sasori's solution had done more than just improve his chakra-control. It had also raised his IQ a good seventy points, and it had already been above average. Naruto now had the mental resources of a genius in the making.

Karin shrugged. "There are special combat-puppets. The size of a human, and usually stuffed with all sorts of nasty surprises. Okay, now that that's cleared, let's start with the chakra-strings first, reading later, and learning how to move without falling over your own feet could probably be helpful as well."

She and Kabuto had already clearly outlined the does and don'ts of Naruto's training. Puppeteering yes, that was why they were here. Medicine and anatomy yes, as they needed him to be able to make human puppets, and he had to understand enough from the scroll to not royally screw up.

Usage of the mouths yes, as it was not only interesting, but it was also the part Naruto was bound to notice in a short amount of time.

Learning how to turn his body into strings and control his bone-structure, maybe later, it gave ideas for dark cold nights.

Teaching him how to transform into sheets of paper no, they didn't need that yet and the seals on the bars hadn't been modified to create a barrier yet. If the boy escaped through the bars, Orochimaru would play bowling with their heads.

The Rinnegan hell no! They really didn't need Naruto taking the place apart, or fling them through the air like leaves in a storm.

And as if on cue, Naruto looked at his hands, probably wondering how he'd make the strings. He gasped in shock. "WHY ARE THERE MOUTHS ON MY HANDS?!" He shouted.

Kabuto sighed. "I was hoping you'd take a little longer to notice them. Those mouths are a kekkei genkai, a ability unique to clans. They are something only people with DNA like yours can use. You can't eat food with them, as they're not connected to your stomach, and you can't talk with them, as they have no vocal chords, or connections with the lung."

Naruto stared at his hands. "What do they do?"

Karin coughed. "We're not entirely sure yet. What we do know for certain is that you can animate clay into moving figures that explode with a great force by letting your hands chew it. What we don't know is if you're restricted to clay or can use anything of the nature, like mud."

Naruto looked at his hands. "So one of my parents had these two?"

Kabuto and Karin glanced at each other. "Maybe. We honestly have no idea, but it's possible." It was. They just didn't say how likely it was.

Naruto nodded. "Okay. Since I seem to have little choice either way, let's start."

Karin nodded, waved him closer to the table with the scrolls, and they started.

* * *

The next weeks passed quickly for Kabuto and Karin. Naruto was a amazing student if you could answer his questions. He only needed something explained once to memorize it, and his imagination was almost scary. Not only could he come up with ingenious and crazy plans, but he could picture things to a mind-baffling degree, as he only needed to look at the pieces for a minute to put a thousand-piece puzzle together, without making a single mistake or a moment's hesitation. Teaching Naruto kanji had also been much easier than Karin had feared, and from the way they were going through the scrolls, he'd probably knew enough to become a mediocre doctor in a few weeks. Forming chakra-strings had taken a week, but now the boy could instantly summon them.

They had also found time to test out Deidara's bloodline. It turned out that Naruto could use any type of earth in a at least semi-liquid state as explosives, even wet sand worked. But it couldn't be dry dirt, and there was some sort of order for the effectiveness of the explosives. Deidara's clay worked best, seeing that it was of a high quality. Clay in general seemed to be the most effective material for the bombs, while mud and wet dirt were not as good.

Orochimaru had been patient, understanding that rushing the puppeteering without Naruto being able to understand what he was supposed to do would be a waste of time and effort. Also, the room where Naruto would train puppetry had to be prepared, and the corpses of mid-class shinobi that had been gathered for human-puppets had been sealed into scrolls, then organized according to their elemental-affinity. They couldn't gather corpses of high ranking, as the villages might have thrown a fit if high-class shinobi vanished.

Now it was time to teach Naruto puppeteering, before he would receive Itachi's sample. Who knew, the Sharingan might actually make it easier for the boy. They had prepared a training-room for Naruto, and already used the trusted narcotics to knock him out. Now all they had to do was wait.

* * *

Naruto woke up with a small headache. He looked around to find himself in a new room. He was laying in a new pile of hay, but beside that, the room was different. It seemed colder, and instead of a table where Kabuto and Karin were waiting for him, he saw a large workbench filled with parts of puppets and other materials. On the other side, there seemed to be a table for operations including scalpels and other medical instruments. There were a few medical-scrolls and one that said **human-puppetry**. The opposite wall was another set of bars, but there was an opening. Not big enough to slip through, but his arms would fit through. Behind the bars, there was a man-sized puppet laying on the floor, while to the far wall Naruto could see a table with food and a jug on a stone basin filled with water, everything far beyond his reach. He immediately understood that if he wanted to eat and drink, he had to make the puppet get it for him.

He immediately extended chakra-strings to the puppet, only to see them bounce off an invisible barrier inside the opening. "What the hell?" he muttered. Had he been wrong? No, it made sense. Perhaps the barrier had been made to prevent Naruto from cheating, like assembling a long straw for water or something like that. He approached the opening and reached for it. Nothing happened, so Naruto stuck his arms in the opening and tried again. This time, the strings connected to the puppet without a problem.

The problem came afterwords, when Naruto suddenly realized that he didn't know how to control the puppet! But there was only one way he'd get it, and that was trial and error. Naruto already felt that his throat was dry. He head probably been unconscious for hours before he woke up here. He needed water. He moved each finger to see what it did, then he tried different combinations. The puppet twitched like mad, but there was no control whatsoever. This would take a while.

* * *

Kabuto and Karin looked into one of Orochimaru's observation-monitors. It had almost been two days, but Naruto had succeeded in moving the puppet to supply himself with food and water. And to their satisfaction, after he had eaten and drunk, Naruto continued to tinker with the puppet. They would inject Itachi's sample into him soon, and the better the boy was with the puppets, the better he'd get in the future. Right now, the puppet was almost as agile as a normal civilian, just a little stiff. They'd also need the downtime to redecorate the training chamber for puppeteering. They had developed a clever schedule that would turn Naruto into a puppeteer that even Sasori would respect. Right now they were working with him on multiple levels. The room where they taught him to read and the room where he worked with puppets were connected through a tunnel, so that Naruto could work on reading with them, and on puppets in the other room. Soon Naruto would build his first human-puppet.

* * *

Naruto's next awakening was less pleasant than the former ones. He had an itch in his eyes, and his vision seemed to have changed again. He could still see the weird haze around himself, but now he also saw things much clearer than before, especially movement. Unknown to him, three tomoe were around his pupil, and a few shadows seemed to be in some rings. He saw that he was in the puppet-room again, but this time, there was a note. He opened it.

_You will build your own puppet this time. The materials are on the workbench, together with instructions. The difficulty of your task has been upped. You will also repair any damages to the puppet._

That was it. No introduction, no signature, just these instructions. But Naruto knew that he had little choice, and turned to the workbench. The instructions were clear and easy to read, but it was still a exhausting and strenuous job, and Naruto often scraped his skin, cut himself, pulled splinters out of his skin and squashed a finger. And the wood he was working on already had the basic shape of a puppet, only requiring few modifications.

When Naruto finally succeeded, he decided to test the puppet in here before sending it into a situation where it might get destroyed. He was slowly getting the hang of it, and after a few hours, he could move it fluently, so that without the wooden clacking, a onlooker would have sworn that it was not a puppet, but a good genin that was moving around. Naruto had also noticed that he could get the puppets to float, and tried to improve on that, although it could still use a lot of work. But by now, he was hungry and with working and training, he had sweat out precious liquid.

The bars now had another opening through which Naruto could push the puppet, but this one seemed to be the opposite of the one he stuck his hands trough. When he touched the empty space, the barrier had come to life and burned his fingertips. It had healed after a few seconds, but it still hurt. Naruto learned from it and pushed the puppet as far as it went without risking contact with the invisible barrier, then he stuck his hands through the the upper opening and used chakra-strings to pull the puppet completely to the other side before making it stand up.

Now he looked at the room and noticed that it was now much larger. Also, there seemed to be a number of dark corners out of which traps could shoot. Naruto carefully moved the puppet towards the desperately needed water, waiting for a ambush, but it seemed that whoever was controlling the traps was willing to give him one free shot to get at least some of the needed nourishment before they got serious. Naruto made the puppet grab water and a slice of bread before making it go back. Again it got to him without a scratch and handed him water and food. But when Naruto sent the puppet for more, the traps sprang into action.

A guillotine-like blade dropped from the ceiling and Naruto only barely managed to get the puppet back in time to save it being chopped in half. As soon as he tried to use the opportunity that the blade was down, spikes shot out of the floor, grazing the puppet.

Naruto's brow twitched. A single thought was going through his head. 'After all the blood, sweat and tears I put in that puppet, you are so not going to just TRASH IT!'

His hand's motions became furious as the puppet started to dance around the numerous traps that sprung. In his furious focus he didn't even consciously notice when he took one chakra-string off his puppet and glued it to a bladed boomerang that was headed for the puppet to make it veer off course with a twitch.

Kabuto and Karin on the other hand didn't miss it. Karin looked at Kabuto. "Should we start with multiple puppets?"

Kabuto frowned. He would have liked to get the entire puppeteering-thing over with quickly, since Orochimaru had finally agreed to let Naruto train his other bloodlines once that was mastered, but he had also made it clear that he felt no need to go deeply into normal puppeteering, as human-puppets were all he was really interested in. "No. Orochimaru-sama has little interest in normal puppetry, so we'll allow him to improve on using a puppet, and since he started writing down ideas for stuff to hide in puppets, we'll let him improve on that was well. Then we'll have him create human-puppets, learn to use them and their affinities. Once that's done, he'll learn how to control more than one of them at the same time. Two at first, with identical traps, then with individual traps that will force Naruto to split his attention. Once that's done, we'll increase the number of puppets until he can control ten at the same time. Then, as Orochimaru-sama instructed, he'll learn how to move while controlling his puppets."

Karin looked. "Let me guess. He'll learn the hard way?"

Kabuto shrugged. "Unless you have a better idea."

Karin sighed. "No, not really."

* * *

Naruto looked around. He was in the room for puppeteering, but things had changed. The connection to the other room was blocked, and his puppet was missing. There were materials for a puppet, but something was off. The operating-table seemed to be polished, the medical instruments more numerous and a number of of other devices of unknown function standing around it. On the workbench, there was a small stack of scrolls, and another note. He opened it.

_Again, you have what you need. To understand what you're supposed to do, read the scroll labeled 'Human-puppets.' The traps have been deactivated while you get used to the new puppet. Also, you have one gallon of water, a small loaf of bread and three fruits as provisions for the time during the making of the puppet._

Naruto frowned. What the hell was this supposed to mean? He knew about sealed objects, Kabuto had told and even showed him, but what could be in those scrolls that was different from what had been on the workbench beforehand?

He decided to go for the scroll with the instructions first. He grabbed it, opened it and began to read.

His eyes wandered down the lines, his face growing paler the further he read. After ten minutes, he was pale as a ghost, but he had read the entire scroll. He grabbed one of the scrolls on the workbench, unrolled it on the operating-table and unsealed what it held. He was not surprised to see a human body laying on the table before him, although he was shocked to see that the body looked to have been barely sixteen. Dark skin and long black hair was spread around his head like a black halo. Naruto resealed the corpse, tears in his eyes. All the strange devices suddenly gained function for Naruto.

That one drained the body of blood and other liquids. That one made skinning the body easier. That thing was a special bone-saw for the skull. The scalpels were so that he could remove the innards and replace it with the materials for a puppet. Everything made perfect sense in a very sick way, even why he learned reading with medical texts. Thanks to the scroll and his lessons, he knew exactly what to do to make a human-puppet. The only thing he was lacking was practice, which was probably the reason there were so many scrolls. In case he didn't get it right, he would have more to work on.

Naruto slumped together next to the operating-table, leaning against the wall for support while he buried his face in his hands. What was he supposed to do now? They wanted him to cut up this boy, who he had never seen before, to gore him, to desecrate the corpse by skinning it, bleeding it dry and removing what had given this human life, and make him a tool. Everything inside of Naruto refused to do it, but he knew that he would eventually have no choice if he wanted to live. Still, right now, Naruto just didn't have the strength.

* * *

"How's he doing?" Kabuto asked without looking up from his book. He was studying some plans for the near future.

Karin looked up from her medical texts to glance at the screen. "Still no change. He's just sitting next to the table, staring into blank space. He should get started soon, he ran out of provisions a day ago."

Naruto had been in there for almost four days now. On occasions, he had stood up, ate, looked at the instructions for making a human-puppet, taken some instruments into his hands or stared at the scrolls with the bodies. But he had not done anything. Yet.

But they knew it wouldn't be long until the boy caved into thirst. The fact that water flowed into the chalice making soft noise that would be maddening in the silence of the chamber was wearing the thirsty boy down quickly.

And indeed, Karin saw that Naruto had grabbed a scroll and placed the corpse on the operating-table. He checked the instructions again, before moving to attach the dehydrator to the body. Then he grabbed a scalping-knife and some other gimmicks for removing skin they had supplied him with.

* * *

Naruto gulped. He didn't want to do it, but the thirst was killing him. And the corpse wouldn't care what happened with it, since Naruto doubted whoever was pulling the strings in the background would just bury them if he refused to do it and died. That was the main reason he moved to turn the corpse into a puppet, he simply didn't want to die.

It was the same boy he had unsealed before. When he touched the dead boy's head, he blinked in shock. He had just flashed through a number of images, gaining knowledge about this poor soul. This boy, his name was Kira, he was, or had been, a low-chunin of Kumo. His dream had been to become the strongest and best Raiton-user in the world. He knew a few Raiton and chakra-control-exercises, but besides that, Naruto didn't get much else. Only that the boy had died from a senbon, probably poisoned, to the neck, dying alone without even getting close to fulfilling his dream. 'What the hell was that?' He mentally asked himself.

Now that Naruto knew something about who he was going to gut it was much harder to do this, but after a moment's hesitation, Naruto gulped and started peeling off the skin. He felt sick and knew that a part of him had just died.

* * *

Kabuto whistled, impressed with the boy. He had managed to keep his stomach's content, albeit barely, and was making pretty good progress. Of course Kabuto couldn't see all the details of what was happening, but what he saw made him believe that Naruto seemed determined to get it right on his first try. Probably for some sense of duty to ensure the boy didn't die in vain or something, but if it motivated Naruto, who was he to complain?

After another hour, Naruto was done. The first human-puppet the boy had ever made was laying before him. In a fit of inspiration, Naruto had done some things that weren't written in the scroll, just to see if it worked. He extended the strings and Kira moved. It was a bit different than a normal puppet, but Naruto could move him and would probably quickly learn to master using him. He gently pushed it through the lower opening and made it get him food and water. Then the puppet returned to him, and Naruto fell asleep, dead tired.

* * *

The further training had gone extremely well, Naruto mastering making the puppet use elemental and non-elemental jutsu quicker than Kabuto would have dreamed.

Of course he didn't know that was mainly due to the fact that Naruto had seen how to create and use elemental-chakra and jutsu, although he never showed any jutsu, since he knew he was being watched.

They had given him orders to make more puppets, until he had ten, two of each element. His second Lightning-puppet was a woman who could have been Kira's sister, although they weren't related. Her body had begun to change, puberty finally taking hold on her when her life had ended, giving her a curvier body with B-C-cup breasts. Naruto had been embarrassed to look at her naked body, but it was not like she could mind. The girl, whose name happened to be Akira, had been stronger than Kira, though not by much.

His Earth-puppets were both male. One was a redhead in his late thirties named Heiji while the other one, Domon, looked to be at least eighty, with gray hair and a long beard. The old one was actually a former hunter-nin from Iwa that had retired and left the village, so he was particularly strong.

His Fire-puppets, a man and a woman, both in their late twenties, were from an unknown village that was equal to the Uchiha when it came to Katon and known for the green hair of its inhabitants. Since they were both nuke-nin, there was little risk that someone would look for Kaira and Homura.

Kazemaru and Fuuka, his Wind-puppets, had been twins, and the only way to tell them apart if you didn't see their figures would be that the brown hair on Fuuka's head was longer than Kazemaru's.

His first water-puppet, a roughly twenty-five year old woman with long blue hair, was nothing special, a ordinary chunin from Kiri, although she was as strong as a low-ranking jonin. Her name had been Suiumi. But the second one was out of the ordinary. It was the first bloodline-puppet Naruto had ever made. It was also one of the hardest things he had ever done, since the boy was even younger than him, only seven.

Suiyoukito had been born with the Futton-kekkei genkai, also known as Boil-release. As a result, he had been born by parents who had fled from the bloodline-purges and went into hiding. Eventually, the father and his innocent, bloodlineless wife had been found and beaten to death, giving their last gesture of love by not saying a word of Suiyoukito's hiding-place. A pale man that had called himself Orochimaru had approached the boy, asking him to join, but Suiyouki had refused. The man, obviously angered, had poisoned him and tried to force him to join. Suiyouki had refused to the end and died of the poisoning.

For the first time, Naruto saw who was holding him captive. This pale man with the creepy laugh and very short patience. He had never believed that he was just being trained for charity's sake, but now he started to worry what these people had planned for him. He was also starting to doubt that his shifts in vision and other irregularities he had noticed were of a natural cause. But for now, he could only play along.

And play along he did. He had managed to retain Suiyoukito's kekkei genkai, and had been forced to learn how to operate multiple puppets at the same time. At first, he had to control two puppets, one with each hand. The traps had been identical in the beginning, but had changed quickly, forcing Naruto to split his attention on multiple things. Then he had been ordered to control the puppet with less strings, and with time, he had been forced to operate ten puppets independent from each other, and all at the same time. It had taken a week until he had somewhat mastered that, and then they increased the difficulty again. Now he not only had to control ten puppets, which was no longer possible through the wall, leading to him standing in a chakra-construct hanging from the ceiling, but he also had to make sure that he stayed okay. Spikes and rocks shot out of the ceiling at random intervals, weapons shot at his puppets were actually aimed at him, pointy objects targeted him from his blind-spots... it was hell.

The short breaks were better, Karin gave him a scroll in which he could seal all ten puppets, while Kabuto had tattooed a number of blank seals on his arms and chest, saying he would probably soon need them.

And indeed, not even a week later, there was another set with instructions. These simply stated that sealed inside of three scrolls were corpses he was supposed to turn into puppets, and that he should make them his masterpieces.

Naruto noticed that the materials he was given were of a very high quality, and decided to see who was worth all the effort. He unsealed the first scroll, revealing an unknown corpse of a man wearing a gas-mask of sorts. Naruto touched the man's forehead, something that had become a ritual of sorts, and nearly screamed in surprise as the images made their way into Naruto' head.

* * *

He received a flood of information. He saw a country, hidden beneath a near-permanent rain. He saw strategies, jutsu, and lizard-like creatures that were called by a few handsigns and a small offering in blood. He saw three people, one of them a younger Orochimaru, fighting him and getting beaten badly. He saw a man with is right eye bandaged, and how they shook hands. The man was wearing a Konoha-insigna, and another one Naruto had noticed on some of the masks of people tailing him. Then there were images of looking down on a small group, but three people seemed in focus. One of them, a woman named Konan, was captured, and if one of the two boys didn't die, the girl would. The spiky-headed one, Yahiku jumped at his friend Nagato and was killed, just as the he had planned. Then the other one tried to attack, but explosive-tags rose from the ground, stuck to his legs and detonated. Those legs would be useless. Just as the troops were about to finish the boy off, something strange happened. A snake-like chakra-construct with a dragon's head shot out and killed the troops. The bandaged man and the man with the gas-mask retreated, and the last image received from that scene were the boy's eyes. They were of a metallic gray, and had many ripples. A few unimportant scenes flashed by, then he saw the boy that had been killed, together with five others. All had those rippled eyes, and they fought as one. Each one had special abilities, and eventually they overwhelmed the man. The woman that had once been a prisoner watched from above, with angel-wings made of what looked like paper. The girl seemed to be made of paper. Then there was a black skewer, a sharp pain, then nothing. Only one sentence still echoed.

"Hanzo, you have suffered the fate of all mortals. Pein, the god of Ame has judged you and found you unworthy of redemption. Take this pain to your next life, so that you may grow from it."

* * *

Naruto looked at the body. This man had been a amazing shinobi, and he had had some pretty big enemies as well. He wondered how Orochimaru had gotten the body, as the man, Hanzo, was obviously stronger than him. Then again, he wouldn't get an answer, but he would go hungry or be punished. Punishment was a system that had recently been added. Essentially, when he tried to break out, or just destroy stuff so that he couldn't do it, he was hit by lightning, which usually left him on the floor, twitching and in agony for ten minutes before he managed to get up, or other nasty ways of inflicting pain on him. So Naruto turned Hanzo into a puppet, then discreetly using the puppet to unseal a scroll that had been hidden in the man's skin, only to seal it into one of the seals Kabuto had put on him. The Hanzo-puppet was also sealed away in his body, and Naruto turned to the second scroll and unsealed it.

He jumped back, tripped and landed on his back when he saw who was laying on the table. Either the Shodaime had a lookalike, or he was laying on Naruto's table. Naruto was hyperventilating. Why the hell was the Shodaime laying on the table?! Naruto resealed him and grabbed the last scroll, just to see if his suspicion was correct. It was. In front of him laid the Nidaime. Naruto resealed him and collapsed sobbing. Making human-puppets out of strangers had torn him apart, and now they wanted him to desecrate two of the people he had admired. Why him? Why did they do this to him? Hadn't he suffered enough already?

He grabbed a clean scalpel and played around with it, then cutting his wrist. To his shock, instead of blood, he saw brownish gray flesh, that suddenly grew black strings and mended his skin together. As soon as the skin was reconnected, a section of Naruto's arm turned into a sheet of paper, covered the stitch and returned to normal skin. Not a trace of the cut had remained, and Naruto was sure that he had seen the brown flesh mend together by itself. He stared at his arm, then at the still-clean scalpel. That was when he noticed another irregularity.

He was holding the small blade so that its wide side was facing him, and he saw his reflection. The face was still the same, although a bit thinner with slightly colder features. But what shocked him were his eyes. They were rippled, just like Nagato's and later Yahiko's. Did that mean they were related? His skin had turned to paper, just like that woman's, so perhaps those people were his parents? But then, why did he have mouths on his hands, as they were in Ame, while the people who had mouths like him lived in Iwa, according to Kabuto. Well, the nations were bordering on each other, so it wasn't impossible for a crossbreed to exist, but none of the people he saw had anything unusual on his hands. So they weren't his parents. Then Naruto noticed that his eyes were different from Nagato's. There were three tomoe around his pupil, something that neither Nagato nor Yahiko, if it really was him, had possessed. It reminded him of what the people in that walled section of Konoha had, when their eyes turned red.

He knew because he had once landed there by accident, and was brutally beaten, then left to die while anyone who passed him would give him another kick. He probably would have died there, if not for one woman and her two children, a boy and a girl, who had smuggled him out of the compound. He had never learned his saviors' names.

What was going on? Naruto's mind finally provided him the answer. He was an experiment. He had been one before, when a group of people had kidnapped him and operated on him, giving him shots and forcing him to eat things that were clearly not good for him, so he was no stranger to the feeling of being experimented on. The gray flesh, the mouths, the eyes, the strings and the paper, none of that was his. It was something they had done to him. And now that Naruto realized it, he suddenly ghost-pain of maddening intensity. He was physically remembering what his body had went through, and it was hell.

They had probably given him something from a genius in puppetry as well, but Naruto could still call it his achievement, since those skills were earned, not inherited. Everything he had believed, all his hopes of having a family somewhere, it was all crushed. And as pathetic as it was, he couldn't even end his misery. He slowly rose, gave a short prayer to the Hokage for what he was about to do. If he wanted to talk to Kabuto and Karin, he had to finish the given task.

* * *

Chapter 3 is complete. It took a while, but it's done. Not that much to say, but the workload for school is steadily increasing, which leaves me grateful that I still have any time to write.

Not much I have to say right now, I made Naruto learn quickly in order to not drag the parts that will make one loose interest if stretched too long. Also, Sasori's DNA had to have some effects, which turned out to be increased mental capabilities, increased dexterity and a great talent for puppeteering. He will receive the last samples next chapter, and by then I'll have decided if and how he makes his escape. And Naruto will not receive any elemental-kekkei genkai, Orochimaru thinks it'll be more efficient to just allow Naruto to turn them into puppets.

One thing I forgot to mention, while I have not decided on any pairings, I don't do yaoi. Ever. Issue closed. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against homosexuality, but it's just not my cup of tea.

Oh yeah, and what do you think of the puppets?

I usually don't do this stuff, but I'll go into the Naruto-canon story just this once. WHAT THE FUCK?! Danzo's entire arm is covered in Sharingans? I know they're useful, but that's just too much! And while I admit that would have been the last thing I suspected the arm to be, I already guessed that there was something off about Shisui's Sharingan, or to be more precise, its location on Danzo's head. It just seemed a little too high, and the placement of the eye-socket would have to be more to the side of the head than normal for humans to be able to have iris and pupil in the middle of the eye, not in the corner where is should be. I thought that was an optical illusion, my imagination or a mistake in the picture, but now I'm starting to wonder if those bandages really only hide one eye.

Now onto the reviews.

To Gallantmon the Hazard: Indeed, the interaction between the council and Naruto will be memorable. As for Kyuubi, I have some plans, but that's a story for another time.

To Disciple-of-Godric: As I wrote, at first no. however, Naruto's mutation/evolution has yet to reach its end.

To crazymexican: I said it before, I'll say it again, I have made no decision regarding pairings yet, although harems can be fun to read, so it's possible.

To RavenNightwish: Karin's sensory skills are not a bloodline, and Naruto will gain that skill, from Zetsu. He has to have it, how else is he able to appear at just the places he wants to with the people he's looking for. And Naruto already has better healing than Kabuto, it's even better than Juugo's, who I'd like to remind survived the Raikage's hit to the heart and was feeling good enough to laugh madly and attempt a counterattack. I publicly answered your question about the Shodaime, as I don't want to tell it three times since most people don't read the replies not addressed to them. As for pairings, read the reply above.

To c im a dragon: Immortal is a very relative term, let me put it this way, he can't be killed by ordinary means. As for agelessness, I haven't decided yet.

To JNottle: It's possible, we'll see when they meet, won't we?

To noshadowone: Naruto won't have Guren's bloodline, as I stated above, Orochimaru intends to make puppets out of people with abilities like those, as he himself isn't sure just how much manipulation his body can take, Kyuubi or no Kyuubi. And about pairings, I have made no decision whatsoever, so it is completely possible that the pairing will end up to be one or more of the girls you mentioned. And who said that it was immortal love at first sight with Hinata, personally I see it as a crush, which can or can not be exploited and turn into a real relationship.

To Hakkyo no Yami: He will be cheery at times, dark at others, and react very violently to... certain things. As for Konoha, he'll hold it in some disdain, that's all I decided on by now. Ask me next chapter, I'll have the answers by then.

To ^ ^: First of all, yes there will be a few abilities influencing each other, and as for the end or your review, yes I can, the first thing that comes to mind is still the Hachibi.

To Kazua: I know it seems a little rushed, but if there is no progress, it gets boring. As for teaching Naruto to write, why bother? Orochimaru knows how to write, and its not like Naruto has anyone to write letters to.

To Darksnider05: Even if I decide to start canon the next few chapters, I really don't see the problem. I personally see the entire series before Shippuuden as shaping a personality, and with Zetsu's powers, it's not that hard to travel to distant places quickly even if I'd start canon.

For now that's all, so

Please Review


	4. Training and a quick Exit

Chapter 4

Disclaimer: Do I really have to say it again?

* * *

Kabuto and Karin walked into Naruto's glorified prison, and immediately noticed that something was off. Naruto sat at the table, absolutely silent. No smiles, no greeting, just a blank stare. Karin and Kabuto exchanged a worried glance as they took seat on the table, to the opposite of Naruto. Naruto looked at them, then he finally spoke.

"You are experimenting on me." It wasn't a question. "Why, and why me?"

Kabuto looked surprised, then he sighed. "I knew you'd eventually realize it, although I didn't think it would be so soon. Yes, there are experiments on your body, and I'm afraid there will be a few more. Orochimaru tries to artificially implant bloodlines and similar traits to others, so that he may become immortal. We chose you, after many failures, because everyone else we tried died."

Karin stared at him for revealing so much, but then she shrugged. It didn't matter anyways. Naruto simply nodded.

"And why don't I die?"

Karin shrugged sadly. In for a penny, in for a pound. "Because there is something inside of you that won't allow you to die. Kabuto can explain what." She added quickly when she saw Naruto's mouth, his main-mouth, open for another question.

Kabuto glared at Karin for pushing the dirty jobs to him, but he complied. "You probably heard the story about how the Yondaime killed the Kyuubi, right?" Naruto nodded. "Well it's bullshit. Nothing can kill a bijuu, killing normal demons is nearly impossible as Orochimaru-sama will attest, so the Yondaime did the next-best thing. He sealed it in you. You are the vessel for the Kyuubi, it's prison, you are a jinchuuriki."

Naruto was beyond shocked. "I'm... what?"

Karin shrugged. "You are the Kyuubi's host, and you are what keeps him locked away."

Now it all made sense to Naruto. The beatings, the torture, the hatred and the cold glares, everything made sense. They hated him because of what Kyuubi had done, and since they couldn't hurt the Kyuubi, they hurt Naruto. He looked at them. "Thank you for telling me. Now I'd like to be alone."

Karin and Kabuto nodded and left. But Kabuto turned around one last time. "Before I forget, when you wake up after the next operation, you won't be learning puppetry. You can practice it, but you will have to act yourself."

Naruto nodded, and Kabuto left, knowing that the most complicated operation was ahead of them.

* * *

Merging Samehada's shard with Naruto proved to be difficult. Even though it was actually alive, there was no non-chakra-using way to gain a serum, and the shard simply absorbed all chakra. The operation had been nerve-wrecking, complicated and time-consuming, but in the end, they had managed. All they could do now is wait for what happened.

An hour later, Naruto had grown scales. Not like a lizard, but similar to the real Samehada's looks, although they could seemingly shrink, leaving him looking like he was wearing chain-mail. The only problem had been that they were now unable to touch Naruto, as everyone who tried lost skin, if they were unlucky flesh, and a shitload of chakra.

In the following days and weeks, Naruto had learned how to control his new natural armor. It had taken two weeks, but he was now able to make it sink into his skin, making him look normal, while it could be brought back out instantly. Another curious thing was that when Naruto grew scales on his palms, the mouths, or to be more precise their teeth, changed. Whenever the mouth was surrounded by scales, it grew sharp teeth, and seemed to be able to feed on chakra now as well.

But even while learning control of his natural armor, Naruto's skills bloomed. A boy named Kimimaro had been called and instructed him on how to make his bones weapons and certain parts of unarmed and armed combat, although he was mostly strengthening his body and learning how to dodge and block, and Naruto took to it like a fish to water. He also trained turning into paper, a little bit of explosives-training, he learned how to actually use paper and utilize and turn into thread, and the secret behind the black threads. He had learned to use his eyes, unlocking some sort of powers that he hadn't known before. For the rippled eyes, Naruto had received plenty information out of Hanzo's head, but the other abilities of his eyes were astounding. He could make an inescapable illusion in which he controlled even time, summon black fire, and something else that he never really tried, but felt was powerful. Also, ever since Naruto had grown scales, he never felt exhausted after using jutsu.

A few weeks after Naruto's latest achievements, which he downgraded to keep everyone underestimating him, Orochimaru decided to field-test his armoring. There had been a few people rebelling against him, and they had been caught in a bar, together with a few unsuspecting guests, namely Kin Tsuchi. So Orochimaru thought of something special. He had gathered the entire lot in an arena, threw Naruto in as well, and clearly stated that whoever killed the boy, or at least lived when he died, would be set free. Of course, everything had been thrown at the boy, from ninjutsu over genjutsu to taijutsu and projectiles, and Orochimaru was pleased to see that everything failed when Naruto's natural armor sprang to life, covering his body seemingly automatically. Orochimaru was about to have the conspirators executed and the innocent Kin set free, when Naruto snapped.

* * *

Naruto had enough. He was sick of being attacked for no reason, he was sick of being shunned, he was sick of being humiliated. With a primal roar, he jumped forward, into the bulk of his attackers. He had no real strategy, but he didn't need one either. He flung his limbs around, and anyone who came in contact lost flesh. Anyone unfortunate enough to come in contact with his palms immediately died of chakra-exhaustion as every single drop was drained out of him, then some more. The entire onslaught didn't last three minutes, then Naruto was the only one standing in a field of corpses, soaked in blood. The only other living being in the arena was Kin, who had backed away to the far wall and collapsed, her legs unable to carry her any longer. Naruto walked to her, still armored and raised his left hand, the sharp-toothed maw snapping the air as it neared the girl. Kin cried.

"No, stay away from me!" Her feet were pushing into the ground, as she tried to crawl backwards even though the wall blocked her. "No, please! I don't want to die! Monster! STAY AWAY!"

Naruto froze. Then he looked into her eyes. And what he saw woke him from his trance. He saw fear, no, what he saw in Kin's eyes was absolute terror. He saw hopelessness, and incredible horror of what would happen. She was scared of him. She was afraid of his mere presence. Naruto had become like the people in Konoha, terrorizing someone helpless. No, to Kin, he was worse. He was not a human, he was the incarnation of death and slaughter. Naruto looked at her, then he turned around. He walked towards the wall and used his scales to carve himself footholds and support for his hands to climb up. He looked at Kabuto as his scales receded into his skin, tears running down his face.

"It's enough. I'm done."

Kabuto, who had been watching, nodded. "You understand that I can't just let you walk around here, right?" He asked.

Naruto raised a brow. "Could you stop me?"

Kabuto shrugged. "Probably not, but I'd have to try. So please save yourself the trouble and me the pain, and just come quietly."

Naruto shrugged and followed. He had left his scroll with his puppets in the cell, and he would never leave without it. It was high time he sealed that scroll in one of the tattoos as well.

* * *

In Oto, a new rumor had started to go around. It spoke of a creature that Orochimaru had under his control. They said that it resembled a human or large primate, but that it was covered in gray scales. They said it was invincible, its scales harder than steel and absolutely immune to any type of chakra-attack. And while the tales of its strength seemed exaggerated, the arena where it was rumored to have slaughtered almost thirty men did show some fresh repairs on a wall that could indeed have been the hand- and footholds the creature was supposed to have made with its bare limbs. Some said it had Sharingan-eyes, others claimed they were rippled, white like the Hyuuga or different in some other way, but one thing they all agreed in was that the eyes were absolutely emotionless, like a machine.

Tayuya wasn't one to listen to rumors, most were exaggerated anyways. But all legends have a true core, and in the world of shinobi, an unknown was a very worrying since dangerous variable. In one of Oto's dining-halls, she met one of her best friends, Kin. She smiled.

"Yo Kin, heard you got yourself in quite a fucking mess. Can't leave you out of my sight for a single fucking second, can I?"

Kin smiled weakly. "I still can't believe it myself. One minute I'm sitting in this small bistro _you_ told me about, minding my own business, next the place is swarmed and everybody gets arrested. I still don't know how I got out of there in one piece."

Tayuya shrugged. "You were innocent, that's how. The fucking tyrant wouldn't kill a loyal servant, why the hell should he?"

Kin smiled. "You're right. So, have you found any boys that got your attention?" She teased, knowing that Tayuya hated most of Oto's male population. They were vile, filthy, arrogant, stupid and sexists. One had once said all women were good for was housework and the bedroom. He had later found himself in the medical-facility with broken bones.

Tayuya frowned. "Very funny. I'd rather date dogs than the fucking pigs that run around here. Most don't even know what washing means, and you're hard-pressed to find a fucktard who can actually do more than slobber all over the girls in this shit-hole. If you want to talk to them about something other then screwing you, you draw blanks. I'm sick of them all!"

Kin smiled brighter. She still knew how to press her friends buttons to get amusing results. "Sorry for bringing it up. I see your vocabulary is still as colorful as always, so what else is new?"

Tayuya smiled and picked up the conversation. Things were going normal until Tayuya brought up the newest rumor.

"Have you heard? They say that the old snake has some new creature at his command. Rumors say it has gray scales and strange eyes."

Kin's glass shattered on the floor. All blood had left her face, leaving her pale as a ghost. She grimaced. Tayuya took a second to realize it was supposed to be a smile.

"Kin, what's wrong? You're white as a sheet, and you're shivering like crazy. Talk to me, what's troubling you? Is it because of that rumor?"

Kin clutched her shoulders and shivered. She whispered something that sounded like _humor_.

Tayuya looked at her. "You have to speak louder, I can't understand what you're telling me."

Kin whimpered, then she looked her friend in the eye. "It's not a rumor." she whispered.

Tayuya's eyes widened. "You saw it?"

Kin nodded.

Tayuya's jaw dropped. "When? Where?"

Kin gulped. "When I was caught together with those rebels. We were herded into a large arena, then Orochimaru-sama threw what looked like a boy into the arena and said whoever was alive when the boy was dead would be spared. Of course, the rebels fired everything they had, but when the smoke cleared, the scaled creature was sitting there, completely unharmed. They then threw weapons at it, but everything bounced off. Then it roared and attacked. It was horrible. Everyone that touched the skin lost flesh until the bones were visible, but that wasn't the worst part. Everyone it touched with its hands dropped dead to the floor, and one man was grabbed by the throat, and he turned into a dried-up mummy in seconds. In less than three minutes, everyone was dead. Then it walked to me." She was obviously traumatized.

Tayuya gently patted her back. "It's okay. You made it out alive, that's all that matters. If it doesn't hurt too much, how did you escape?"

Kin sobbed. "I didn't. It came towards me, extending its scaled hand to my face. Tayuya, there was a mouth filled with razor-sharp teeth on his palm, and they were gnashing and grinding and seemed really eager to bite me. I was so scared, I just screamed something, I can't remember what. It looked me in the eye, then after a few seconds, it turned around and left. It walked to the walls and carved holds into the rock with his bare hands and feet."

Tayuya didn't know what to think. This sounded even crazier than some of the shit she'd heard, yet if she wasn't calling Kin a liar, something the girl definitely wasn't, it had to be true. This was big, really big. She gave Kin another pat on the back. "Relax, you made it out. If it wanted to hurt you, it would have. You're fine, and you'll probably never see it again. You said it yourself, it only killed traitors."

Kin nodded weakly. "I'm going to do anything to ensure that I will never have to face it again."

Tayuya smiled. "There you go girl, that's the way." She helped Kin up and turned to leave, before stopping for a second. "If you tell anyone that I was all sobby and gentle, I'm gonna beat the fucking shit out of you, are we clear?"

Kin chuckled. "I'll make sure that no harm is done to your bad reputation."

Tayuya smirked. "That's my girl."

* * *

Kabuto looked at his master. "Orochimaru-sama, forgive my insolence, but why are you allowing rumors about Naruto Uzumaki to spread? Would it not be better if nobody knew of him?"

"I would like to second that question." Karin added.

Orochimaru shook his head. "There is a simple reason. The rumors describe him as a invincible monster, and my shinobi have started to double and triple their effort in my service as to not face the beast that I hide in my cellar. Did you know that Naruto has already gained a nickname amongst my troops?"

Karin sighed. "Yes, they call him the _Chimera_."

Kabuto shrugged. "Well, that's exactly what we're making him. He's a mixture of different people, all with different skills, so I have to say, the name fits."

Orochimaru smirked. "Yes it does. Nobody dares betray me now that I have such a monster at my beck and call. And once they learn that I am, or rather will soon be the Chimera, they will all crawl at my feet. I can't wait to see the look in sensei's eyes when I kill him wearing that face. On that matter, I have decided that he will receive the last two injections at the same time."

Kabuto frowned. "Lord Orochimaru, not to criticize you, but are you sure that's wise? Naruto is probably ready for another shot, and there are only two more, but to give him both at the same time?"

Orochimaru glared at him. "I am running out of time. In little more than a year, I have planned an invasion on Konoha to destroy it once and for all, and I want to be in my perfect host by that time. If we wait months before the final injection, then the time we need to train that power afterwords and the time to properly unseal Kyuubi without it going berserk on us will be lost and I may not be able to fully control the new body by the time the invasion is scheduled. He will receive both solutions today, and you two will train him on how to reflect damage to opponents. Once he's proficient with that, we will unseal the Kyuubi with a special sealing-array that is nearly complete, although the concept still needs last improvements. Afterwords I will take over his body."

Karin bowed, so that nobody could see her biting her lip. "Yes, Orochimaru-sama." She replied.

Kabuto was also feeling strangely uncomfortable, but he shrugged it off for now. They had to do some reading on Jashinism, and prepare the solutions and Naruto for the final injection.

* * *

Naruto was floating in his tank. Getting the injection-needle into him had been a pain, as his scales seemed to be a automatic defense as well. In the end, they had managed, after waking Naruto up and begging him to allow them to put it in. they had promised and given him a load of ramen, and swore that it would be the last time, and Naruto had reluctantly agreed. While the other solutions had optically not changed him much, this last one had. The only change that Hidan's immortal body had given him was two marks of Jashin on the soles of Naruto's feet, which Kabuto concluded was necessary to quickly conjure the circle needed for the ceremonies. But Zetsu had left clear changes on Naruto. Thankfully, he hadn't grown a Venus-flytrap around his head, but that was where the good news ended. While not exactly split between black and white, Naruto's skin was now uniquely colored. The left side of his body was pale as a ghost, not as white as Orochimaru but still very pale, while the right half was extremely tanned. Also, the left eye had returned to the cerulean blue it was before, while the right eye had mutated. It seemed to be a little bigger, although that could be an optical illusion since it was always opened wide, lacking an eyelid to close it. There was an eyebrow, but the eye was always uncovered, and moved around even though Naruto was unconscious. It was still rippled, and a number of new tomoe had appeared (It looks like the Juubi's eye). Kabuto had a feeling Naruto wouldn't take this new change as well as he had taken the other ones, as he and Karin had noticed that Naruto had always tried to keep a normal appearance as far as it was possible. But now, he no longer had that option.

* * *

Naruto groaned and grabbed his head. That last operation was a pain. He opened his eyes, and noticed that his hand was very pale. He shrugged. So he lost a bit of color in the last procedure, no big deal, he could live with that. Then he noticed something about his vision. He now saw like he did before he was kidnapped with his left eye, while the right eye still had the vision he had become used to. Also, was he imagining things or did his eyes now move independent from each other? He tried to look in two directions a the same time, and he succeeded. This was weird. Then he noticed that his right eye was staring at his right hand. Was that a hallucination? He held his left hand next to his right hand, and clearly saw the difference. He'd have to be blind not to. He nearly ripped his shirt when he raised it to look at his chest. The color-shift between pale and tanned was obvious, and it was not slowly merging into each other, but right in the center of his body, it suddenly shifted, as if someone had cut two people in half, then swapped the halves and stitched them together, only that the stitches were not visible.

Kabuto and Karin waled in, and froze when they saw Naruto staring at himself. Karin cringed as she saw the shock in the boy's left eye, which could finally show emotion once more. Kabuto looked very uncomfortable and was actually willing to trade lives with anyone if it meant he wouldn't have to be here. This could get ugly. Karin walked to him and patted his back, the natural armor allowing it. Then both of Naruto's eyes focused on Kabuto.

"Kabuto, get me a mirror."

Kabuto started to sweat. "Naruto, I really don't think that's a good..."

"Kabuto." Naruto interrupted him.

"Yes?"

Naruto looked at him. "Get. Me. A. Mirror." His voice leaving no room to argue.

Kabuto sighed. "Give me a minute, I don't have one with me." He left, and against better knowledge, he returned with a hand-mirror.

Naruto grabbed it and saw his face, turned his head to see the right eye, then he set it aside and buried his face in his hands, sobbing. It seemed that his final crutch had broken, as he looked up and asked one question.

"What am I?"

Karin blinked. "A human." She answered.

Naruto looked at her, then he started to giggle, which turned into an insane laughter even as tears ran down his face, interrupted by the occasional sob. "GWAHAHAHAHAHA! A human? How? HAHA-SOB-HA. What part of me is human? My bones?" He raised his arms and let bone-spikes shoot out of them, then he made one drop while the other ones receded back into his arm. "My flesh?" He grabbed the fallen spike and sliced open his arm. The gray flesh merged back together as soon as the slice was made, the black thread and paper hiding all traces of it ever happening. "My hands?" The mouths opened, the tongues rolling around. "My skin?" The scales shot out of his body, Karin jumping back just in time to escape without a cut. "My eyes?" He grabbed his right eye, then he looked at them. "How am I human? Tell me, what part of me is human?"

Only now Karin and Kabuto fully realized how much of a crutch Naruto's skin had been to him. It had looked like a normal human's, and it was the only thing that was really the same as any human's. Now that Naruto had a coloring that would be nearly impossible to gain naturally, the final connection to humanity had broken. Naruto had been called a monster so many times that a part of him had started to believe it, being overruled by the thought that when Naruto looked into a mirror, he was no different from others. And now he was, and he couldn't take it. His entire existence was suddenly thrown into question, and Naruto was mentally breaking apart.

Karin hugged Naruto as soon as the scales had receded into the skin. She looked at him. "Naruto. In your heart, you are still a human. Your soul is human."

Kabuto nodded. "And as for your body, you are what humans dream to be. You are strong, smart, immune to disease, starting to get a resistance to poisons, and you are immortal. The arrogant say that you're less than a human, I say you're more, far more than a normal human."

Naruto slowly nodded. It was clear that he didn't fully believe it, but it was enough to hold him strait. He took a deep breath. "So, what do you want me to do now?"

Kabuto calmed himself. "We are supposed to try something." He pulled out a vial with a crimson liquid. "Can you drink a bit of this with the mouth on your palm?"

Naruto shrugged and extended his hand, Kabuto dropping a bit of blood in the mouth. Naruto grimaced. "I feel kinda sick, is that supposed to happen?"

Karin frowned. "No, it's not. I guess that mouth isn't made for it. Can you drink a gulp of it?"

Naruto looked at the liquid, eye now filled with distrust. Kabuto sighed. "It's not poisonous Naruto, I can drink a small bit myself if it makes you feel better." He took a zip, opened his mouth so that Naruto could see he had indeed drank some of it, then he swallowed.

Naruto nodded, grabbed the vial and emptied it. He spat out the last drops. "Was that blood?"

Karin nodded. "Yes it was. And Naruto, what's going to happen in a few seconds is normal, so please don't freak out."

Naruto tilted his head, but then he had a weird feeling. He stretched his legs, although it was more accurate to say that they stretched themselves, the marks at his feet oozing a liquid while he drew a triangle in a circle with his feet and the liquid, which Kabuto would later analyze and see that it was a mixture of Naruto's and the victims blood. Then a pattern started to emerge on Naruto's skin. On his pale left side, it was pitch-black, while his tanned right showed a snow-white pattern. The pattern made his face look like a blank mask with no identifying features, the only oddity was a spot on the forehead, while the rest of the pattern seemed to trace his limbs in simple white lines, making it look as if someone had traced his basic bone-structure with a few brush-strokes, only that everything was connected and no clear ends were seen, other than the ones where his limbs ended. Naruto looked at himself. This was supposed to happen?

"I won't stay like this, will I?" he asked, unsure.

Karin shook her head. "The change will revert the moment you step out of the circle, and restart once you reenter it. It just signifies that the ceremony is in effect."

Naruto looked at her. "Ceremony?"

Kabuto nodded. "Yes, I'll tell you what it does in a minute, but first, could you take that bone-spike you're still holding and ram it in your heart? I know how this sounds, but you're practically immortal, and now immune to physical harm."

Naruto looked at him with raised brows, but he didn't really cling to life that much anymore, as if with his humanity, he had lost part of his will to live. So he raised the spike and slammed it into him. It stinged, but there was no overbearing pain. Suddenly, he felt as if a cold shudder had gone through him. Then it was over, and Naruto's skin reverted to what he would have to call normal. "What was that?"

Kabuto twitched. "The ceremony for the honor of the god Jashin is simple. It works by drinking the victim's blood, a single drop is enough. Then a circle is drawn, the Jashinist staying in it. As long as he remains in the circle, all damage done to the Jashinist will be reflected onto the victim, meaning they get the same damage, although if the victim is hurt, it doesn't happen to the Jashinist as well. The ceremony can be interrupted when the Jashinist leaves the circle, but as soon as he reenters it, the effect starts again. There are only two ways the ceremony can end. Either the circle is destroyed, in which case the Jashinist needs another drink of blood to make a new one... or the victim dies."

Naruto's eyes widened. "You mean... someone died because of what I did?"

Karin and Kabuto nodded their heads. Naruto dropped to the floor.

* * *

Orochimaru looked at a monitor showing Naruto's room, a habit he had started to develop, looking at his new body-to-be. The boy was certainly surprising, both positively and negatively. He learned quicker than anything Orochimaru had ever seen, although he suspected the Sharingan might have a positive effect on the boy's learning-curve, and built strong but not bulky muscle in mere hours, something he accredited to the combination of Kyuubi and Juugo. The not-so-good part was that Naruto had made it impossible to extract any sperm. He blatantly refused to impregnate a woman, and Orochimaru had shown him pictures of any woman he had. Hell, he had even mixed in pictures of people he didn't have, like Tsunade, and while the boy obviously liked their looks, he still refused to do the deed. Worse yet, thanks to Juugo's mutation-abilities, he had retracted and effectively dissolved his reproductive organs, making any attempt of sperm-extraction a waste of time.

Orochimaru looked closer into the screen. He frowned. The boy was messing around with a scalpel, but there was nothing to use it on. Except...

"NO!" Orochimaru howled with rage when he saw Naruto thrust the blade into his right eye. He jumped up and ran towards the room where the boy was held, intending to save the irreplaceable eye.

In front of Naruto's room, Kabuto and Karin were playing poker, ignoring the tragedy that was happening. They looked at Orochimaru, bowed and returned to their game. "What are you two doing?" Orochimaru asked irritated.

"We are playing a card-game, Orochimaru-sama." Kabuto stated dryly, before adding to Karin "Raise two-hundred."

Orochimaru's eye gained a dangerous twitch. "While you two are playing games, my precious host is mutilating himself."

Karin didn't look up. "He's been doing that for the last three days. Call, raise five-hundred."

"And you aren't stopping him?" Orochimaru asked in disbelief.

Kabuto shrugged. "We tried, he raised his scales, we lost flesh. It hurt. Eventually, we just gave up. Call."

Orochimaru glared at them. "He's goring his right eye."

Karin frowned. "Again? That makes what, twenty-six times? Raise five-hundred."

"Twenty-seven. Orochimaru-sama, what you don't know is that Naruto heals everything. In the last three days, he has also cut himself to shreds, broke his own bones, used the scales on his arms to shave his face to the bone and self-amputated something nine times, including two decapitations. The only thing his body really didn't like was the amputations, where it grew threads to reconnect, although I believe he could just regenerate the limbs. His body simply chooses what takes less energy. In fact, his pain-tolerance is baffling, I've never seen anything like it. Call. Show your hand."

Karin laid down her cards. "Four of a kind, Aces."

Kabuto whistled. "Not bad." he showed his hand. "Strait Flush, clubs, Four to Eight."

"Son of a bitch!" Karin cursed.

Orochimaru calmed down and retreated. What he had just heard was even better than he'd hoped. With Naruto as a host, he'd be invincible. Who cared if the boy hurt himself, if it didn't leave any marks? Certainly not he. Whistling a happy tune, Orochimaru retreated to his domain. He had decided that he'd take over Naruto in four days, two days after the Kyuubi would be extracted.

* * *

Kabuto and Karin returned to Naruto's cell. Naruto looked at them.

"Why are you doing this?" He asked.

Kabuto sighed. "Orochimaru-sama has developed a jutsu with which he can permanently take over other bodies in his quest for immortality. While he was a member of a group of ninja equal and superior to himself, he found that two of them combined would offer eternal life. But he got greedy and desired a perfect host with the abilities of all the members of said group. With time and patience, he gathered genetic samples. But that was when the problems started. As I told you before, nobody but you survived. Now you have all the samples, and you have reached a decent level of skill with them, so Orochimaru-sama has decided that tomorrow, the Kyuubi will be extracted from you, as it would destroy him if he were to take you over with it still in you, then, after two days of recovery, he will take over your body."

Naruto looked at him. "So this is how it ends, huh? Just like that."

Kabuto shrugged. "I'm afraid so. I'll miss you, you were fascinating." He had purposefully chosen such a vague way of expressing himself, as the next step would be really risky and very well cost him his head.

Karin hugged him. Then she looked at him. "I guess this is farewell."

Naruto nodded. "Goodbye you two. I guess, I grew attached to you. It feels nice to have a proper goodbye."

Kabuto smiled. "By the way, you didn't get it that bad with your skin. Zetsu, the man who the sample is from has a pitch-black and a snow-white side, and a giant Venus-flytrap around his head. But then again, if you can sink through solid matter and travel the greatest distances in seconds, looks aren't that worrying. Goodbye Naruto."

Naruto looked at them. "Goodbye."

Once Karin and Kabuto left the cell, they started a small conversation. "A shame, isn't it? He had such talent, perhaps we could have given him some more before we parted ways forever." Kabuto said. It was a code between him and Karin, meaning _Did he get it?_

Karin answered. "Yeah, but what can you do? His fates are decided, and all we can do is wait and study Orochimaru once he's in control." The only important word in that speech was the first one, as it answered the unspoken question. Naruto was far too special to end like that.

* * *

Naruto pondered over the last goodbye. Karin had slid a scroll in his shirt, which he had immediately sealed in one of the tattoos, and slipped a bit of clay into his hand. The resident mouth had swallowed it immediately, keeping it in until it was needed. Kabuto's words had also struck a cord. He had indirectly told him how to escape. The walls were filled with seals and therefore not an option, but did the same count for the floor as well? He leaned back, making sure his body was covering his hand, and tried to make it merge with the stone to let him pass. When he noticed a rejection, he tried looking with his right eye. Yep, the floor was lined with chakra, so no pass. He could try to tamper with the seals, but that might trigger an alarm. Instead he went for the operation-table where he made human-puppets. As he had expected, it only had a few minor seals, probably to keep it clean. Naruto traced over the seal with his fingers, letting small scales grow on the tips, and watched with fascination as the chakra was practically sucked out of the seal until it was nothing more than a few scratches and ink. He laid his body on the table, something he had started to do a few weeks ago, so it wouldn't be suspicious, and tried to make his fingers sink into the table. It took two hours, but he made it. Now he had to extend the feeling, letting his entire body sink into the ground.

But just when Naruto though he had it, he heard a sharp hiss, and the world turned blurry. This was obviously new stuff, as Naruto grew resistant if not immune to anything he had been subjugated to at least once, even if the ingredients were dosed differently. He knew that all he had were seconds before he was lost, and focused all his mental strength into sinking into the table. He managed, and had to make a split-second decision where he wanted to be. The choice he made was easy, obvious, and a fair distance away from Orochimaru.

* * *

Sarutobi was enjoying a good pipe, for the moment free of any paperwork that needed looking through. His thoughts wandered to the boy who had vanished over three years ago, Naruto Uzumaki. When Kushina had appeared before him after getting his letter, pissed would not do her mood justice. She had been downright furious. He still had a scar on his shoulder from that _argument_, although beat-down would be more precise. He had never seen her that angry. Hell may have no wrath like a woman scorned, but Earth was more resourceful. Earth had pissed mothers.

Shaking himself from those unpleasant thoughts, he wondered if he would ever see the boy again. Just as he finished his pipe the secretary showed up and placed a giant stack of paper in front of him. Sarutobi sighed and grabbed for his stamp, when something that nearly gave him a heart-attack happened. Something big dropped from the ceiling, landing right on the stacks. His first thought was 'What a shame, now all the paperwork is damaged, therefore invalid. Pity.', directly followed by 'Where the hell did this come from?! And what is this?'

The ANBU that always watched him jumped into action and surrounded the downed object. The leader looked around. "Uma, you were closest, where did that come from and why didn't we notice it sooner?"

The horse-masked man shrugged. "I don't know. It wasn't there, then I noticed something sink out of the ceiling, then it dropped."

Sarutobi decided to take a look at what they were dealing with. He approached the table, prepared to jump back and form a jutsu should he have to, but there was no attack. On the table before him was a boy. He only saw a very pale hand and a mop of blond hair, although a closer look showed a few red, brown, black, green, blue and silver streaks. For some reason, the boy seemed familiar. Then the boy turned his head slightly, and Sarutobi looked into a cerulean-blue eye that stood out of the pale face like a blue moon in a white sky. Sarutobi gasped.

The boy's lip twitched, it was probably supposed to be a smile. Then he spoke. "I'm sorry jiji, I didn't know where...else...to..." Then the eye closed, and the boy lost consciousness.

* * *

Chapter 4 is done. Took a while, but I hope it's still good, since it is a longer chapter.

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYBODY! I hope you like your presents, both the ones you get and mine, these updates. I'll tell you this much, I was really pressured to get them all done, and I fear that some parts may have suffered under that strain, though I hope the results are still readable. Enjoy these chapters I updated, for I'm afraid they'll be the last for the next few years. I have been given a difficult and dangerous task that will take me to places I didn't know existed, far away from any internet-access or any other comfort of civilization. Wish me luck, there is a chance that I don't return, for I have been ordered to clean my room.

All jokes aside, I haven't cleaned the place in like a year, and there's no internet for me until it's done, so don't expect anything else from me this year. If you don't hear from me in the next few months, I have probably passed away, buried by an avalanche of stuff I had forgotten existed. So to all my readers I give you this now: HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU ALL!

I know, I know, the escape was beyond anti-climatic, but let's use common sense (I have no idea why they call it that, where I live, over 90% don't have it), while powerful and immensely talented, and soon to be ridiculously powerful, at that point, Naruto's only combat-experience were a few spars and one time where he went berserk and slaughtered people who were too shocked to really do anything. Not to mention that Naruto doesn't know how to properly use all of his abilities yet, and Orochimaru is not a amateur. He would have caught Naruto somehow had I not chosen that way of escape. And to get back to the topic of common sense, why make a loud, flashy jailbreak that is likely to end in failure when you can just go through the fucking wall and pop up wherever you want to? And when I wrote Naruto kept his real skills secret, I mean really secret. Orochimaru thinks that Naruto's current maximal size of _Amaterasu_ he can create is the size of a candle-flame, while the _Tsukiyomi_-world Orochimaru knows is only three seconds. And he has no idea about the Rinnegan's abilities, or he would have sealed up that eye long ago. Naruto also generally downgraded his skills, to not reveal too much while in enemy-territory.

As you've doubtlessly noticed, I decided that I didn't like Naruto under Orochimaru's control, I prefer a more independent lifestyle for him. And before you ask, yes, Naruto will join Konoha as a shinobi, but he won't care much for the village as a whole, just for a limited number of people he cherishes. He didn't return to Konoha out of loyalty, he just didn't know where else to go, as he literally only knew Konoha and Orochimaru's labs, which kinda narrowed it down. He will travel a lot, thanks to Zetsu's ability he can easily do that while keeping up all his duties as a shinobi. He will also not be interested in the title of Hokage, as his problems will be a lot more existential, the main question having already been asked this chapter.

Oh, and those who want to know more about demons, fiends, devils and the different realms that I intend to have as background, please read my other story, _Guardians of the Seal_.

And since a few people asked, Naruto will not get the Cursed Seal, he has Juugo's undiluted power of free mutation, what could the seal give him?

One more thing, I wish to thank Gelionlegends, mabscottville, Lord of Random Destruction and Santaniel of Zodiac for reporting that my story has been copied, but it's cool. He asked for permission, I gave it to him, although I was a little disappointed at first, since I had expected a complete rewrite. But he already told me that his next chapters will be his work, so I have no problems with it. As long as I'm asked before and given credit, I don't really mind if people use my ideas.

By the way, the part with the last update for this year because of banishment was not a joke, so I'll skip to the reviews.

To Gallantmon of the Hazard: Orochimaru had planned to remove the Kyuubi, as thanks to Hidan's genes, Naruto wouldn't die from the extraction, and until that point was reached, the Kyuubi would keep Naruto alive, so it was actually the reason Orochimaru chose Naruto.

To dracohalo117: To answer your questions, no, Naruto will not get a second personality, it's more like a automatic defense-system than a actual personality. No conscious thought, no voices, just a few actions, like raising the scales in response to a danger Naruto might not be consciously aware of, moving out of potential danger-zones and a combat-autopilot for situations where Naruto's mind retreats while he's under attack. Although he will be able to instantly change his entire attitude, going from happy-go-lucky to dead-serious and back in seconds. As you've read, Naruto will be able to use the ritual, although his shape is a little different. I'll go into detail on what's special about Hidan and therefore Naruto in a different chapter. Finally, Kushina is alive and kicking, she'll make a reappearance next chapter, if I survive the clean(s)ing. Keep up the good work on your stories, I read all, loved all and impatiently wait for the next chapters, especially Naruto of the Four Dojutsu and Wrath to Come. And since I read the story that came before WtC, I was wondering, how many chapters do you think it'll take until Naruto becomes the new Juubi? Keep up the good work.

To HolyKnight5: Sorry to disappoint, but as fun as it would be, Orochimaru may not even try to lift the seal, as it might kill him and I need him alive so he can die later. Okay, that sounded just wrong, but you get the idea. And there will be some gods sticking their noses into Naruto's life, I might actually have some looks into the realm of the gods to organize.

To evilfrog01: I'm not sure on both points yet, but Sasuke will probably start off a asshole, being worshiped for no good reason will do that to people, but he may come over to the good side yet. And I have made no definite decision about the pairings yet, just a few thoughts.

To xyzinc: You have your answer for Samehada, and theoretically yes to the threads.

To the DragonBard: First of all, I'm not the first to make puppets out of corpses. And secondly, did you read through what Sasori explained about the procedure? Skinning, removing the internals, I think it's safe to assume that they will die at that point, so he will have to work with a corpse anyways, since he throws out almost everything and replaced it with wood or whatever the hell his puppets are made of. I am willing to guarantee that the victim will die long before they actually become a puppet, so I see no reason it shouldn't work. In my opinion, it's more important that those few practically irreplaceable parts that aren't thrown out are in good condition, and that the body has not rotted too much.

To Perfect Lionheart: I'm honored you grace me with your review, as I always find it nice to find that those with great stories read and like yours. And I can guarantee that under no circumstances will Naruto become a emo. He may have a weak moment or two, but he will always pull out of it before it get's too bad. And I agree, Orochimaru would have loads of bodies, but unlike Sasori, the number of puppets he could wield is limited, so it wouldn't do him much good to make every body he can steal out of a graveyard into a puppet, as he'll actually want somewhat good quality-puppets and not just cannon-fodder. And in my story, there is something very crucial that is needed to make a chakra-using human-puppet, and that's not the skeleton. I actually hadn't planned on saying it this early, but I'll give an obvious hint. The most important part of a human-puppet, the only part that can't be replaced if damaged, is the same part that kept Sasori alive as a human-puppet and allowed him to still produce chakra to form it into strings. And while martial arts would make thing easier, I don't think they're really needed. Take the puppets that have never been human, like Crow or Salamander. They are built with additional limbs, or on completely nonhuman concepts, yet there is no problem in using them effectively, even if the puppeteer has two arms and the puppet six or a tail, things the puppeteer can't really relate to his own body, not to mention the puppet can fly and the puppeteer can't. And a puppet can do many things impossible for a human body, yet possible for a puppeteer to make the puppet do. In my opinion, puppetry is a art that relies on both getting used to puppets and good old try and error. Also, Orochimaru takes the skills of his former bodies with him, so all he has to do is properly adjust to his new body to be able to fight as good as before, if the body is fast and flexible enough, which Naruto is, thanks to his training with Kimimaro. Orochimaru also takes accuracy with him, so after adjusting to his new body, he will be just as good a sniper as he was before, and if he assimilates the host's knowledge of how to move puppets with his own combat-skills, it would likely only take a few weeks to get the puppets to fight on whole-new levels, so there's not much need for Orochimaru to do more than make sure the boy is strong, fast and flexible enough for his needs. And your idea about the transforming biomass is good, but it wouldn't work. He could turn the bone into thread or paper, but those will always know they were bone before, and therefore turn back into bone. The mutating flesh is possible, but in order to make the organism able of actual life, he'd have to produce a lot in little time, which even he can't do if he can't absorb additional biomass, which Naruto currently has scruples of doing, as it would set him even further away from humanity.

To c im a dragon: He knows how to do the techniques, but he would still have to actually practice them to be able to use them.

To Darksnider05: The funny part is, when I got the idea, it was supposed to be little more than something that allows him to use his puppets to be used more effectively, I didn't even realize what I was getting myself into until afterwords, but I've always been the type to say "If you screw up, work with what you have. If you try to fix things, they usually only get worse", so I'll work with Naruto's increased mental potential, although in Naruto's mindscape, the majority of that knowledge will be sealed away into what will essentially be a mental library, as nobody can live so many other lives and remain sane. He will be able to draw on whatever he wants, but it won't constantly flood his mind all the time. And thanks for the good luck, I have a feeling that I might need it.

To Burn Note: Don't worry, I'm working on antagonists, both major and minor, canon and OC, which is harder than it may sound at first.

For this year, that's it. So my dear readers,

Please Review


	5. Kushina

Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

* * *

Sarutobi looked at the doctor he had ordered to analyze a genetic sample from the boy that landed on his desk, expectation clearly visible on his face. He was already completely sure that it was Naruto, but being the Hokage required that one double- and triple-checked everything. The doctor cleared his throat.

"Before I come to the result of the genetic analysis, I'd like to mention something else, Hokage-sama, namely the enormous difficulty we had in getting genetic material to analyze. The boy has an automatic defense of sorts, consisting of hard, sharp scales that seem to instantly grow from his body whenever there is a threat to his well-being, even to the relatively harmless one of a needle. We didn't do further studies on the boy, as our orders were to merely take a sample and analyze it without inflicting any harm on him, although I would suggest further studies, so we eventually settled on using the boy's saliva for our analysis."

Sarutobi frowned, those scales, as well as the boy's right eye, were something that made him nervous. What had happened to Naruto? "And the results?" He asked.

The doctor scratched his head. "Honestly? If you handed us the samples without saying anything, I would have come to the conclusion that they belong to a distant cousin of Naruto's."

Sarutobi's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean?"

The doctor shrugged. "We found sections that matched with Naruto Uzumaki, but many parts of the DNA don't match with Naruto's DNA-code. Out of sheer bor... curiosity, I ran a check to compare them with other samples we have, mostly of the major clans, and interestingly enough, I got a few matching segments with the DNA of the Uchiha, the greatest similarities with Itachi. There were a number of other segments that didn't belong to Naruto nor Itachi, but I didn't get any further matches, suggesting that, should people that match those large patches exist, they are not native to Konoha. Also, there is no seal on Naruto's stomach, and if a chakra-analysis hadn't detected traces of the Kyuubi's tainted chakra, I would clearly file it as a case of mistaken identity, but like this? I really can't tell you if it is Naruto Uzumaki or not. My suggestion would be to ask questions only the real Naruto could answer, as a mind-probing would be too dangerous for those who try should it really turn out to be Naruto."

Sarutobi nodded, remembering the last time a member of the Yamanaka-clan had tried to use their clan's jutsu on Naruto.

A group of seven had tried to control the boy's body to force him to do something that would give them an excuse to kill him. Seven people had entered his mind, one had managed to return to her body, traumatized and incapable of coherent speech. When she was found, she had been sitting in a corner sobbing for hours, six empty shells around her. Inoichi had personally dived into her mind to find out what happened, and returned gasping for breath. He reported that when the seven had entered Naruto's mind, they had triggered a hidden function of the seal that was meant to protect it and Naruto and landed on the wrong side of the seal, right in the cage with the Kyuubi, who had proceeded to rip six of them to shreds, literally, while letting the woman go to spread the warning. Needless to say, there were no further attempts of that kind.

Sarutobi finally made his decision. "When he wakes, I'll go see him. I'll be accompanied by a squad of ANBU, including Tora. Personally I have no doubt that it is Naruto Uzumaki, but it is better to be on the safe side. The question I really want answered is what happened to him."

* * *

Meanwhile, in Naruto's room, one of the doctors stood above the unconscious figure, a look of utter hatred etched on his face. He had a scalpel in his hand.

"You should have stayed in hell demon, but I'll correct that mistake!" He hissed as he brought the blade down. Suddenly the right eye stopped rolling in the socket and focused completely focused on him. At the same time, the right arm, now scaled, shot up and swiped the blade out of the doctor's hand.

The doctor hissed in pain and grabbed his hand. The space between pinky and wrist had been stripped of flesh to the point that the naked bone was visible. He used a quick healing-jutsu, before forming chakra-scalpels. "So you want to play rough, demon scum? Have it your way then!" He charged the surprisingly still unconscious boy, when something else happened.

The right arm, still covered in gray scales and suddenly with a shark-teeth filled maw on the palm, shot at him, actually extending and hitting him in the shoulder before he could reach the boy, clawing into his flesh. The doctor felt all strength leave him, the chakra-scalpels fading away, and with his last strength yanked himself free, gaining a large gap in his shoulder.

Being a good enough doctor to understand that he was not only deprived of practically all chakra, but also bleeding badly, retreated into the empty hallway, and from there into the elevator, cursing the entire time. "That little demon was better than I thought. No matter, with a wound like this, not to mention his demonic transformations, I have more than enough to show him for what he truly is, and then he will die."

But the doctor had overlooked a few key-details. While he couldn't be blamed for not noticing that Naruto's right hand that had bit him had been chewing something for hours, as he hadn't seen the palm, not noticing that something had been pumped into him from said mouth was something he as a doctor shouldn't have missed. Also, since he never looked back, he didn't see the scales vanishing back into the arm, while the left arm slowly rose as well, both hands starting to form a single handsign, consisting of extended middle-and index-fingers.

Even though the activation-word was not spoken, the gruesome effect occurred. The doctor's eyes widened as he felt a weird dullness from his shoulder. He turned his head, only to see himself disintegrating. His arm had already fallen to the floor with a THUMB, vanishing faster than he would have thought possible, but that was not his most urgent problem. The problem was that he could see his ribcage, that his right lung had a gaping hole large enough that a football could be placed in it without even scraping against the edges, and that the disintegration had proceeded up his neck and to his nose. The world turned black as his eyes decomposed. 'This can't be happening!' The doctor thought. Then, he didn't think anything.

* * *

When the elevator opened, the nurse that was about to enter frowned. Before her was a heap of empty clothing, a doctor's coat with a hole and traces of blood on the shoulder being the most distinctive. She looked around, but deciding that it had to be a prank of sorts, she started to collect the clothes. There was nothing too unusual about the stack, until she took the shoes. One of them was heavier than the other. She looked into the shoe... and screamed. A lone foot was sticking in it, ending just before the ankle.

* * *

Naruto groaned. The last thing he remembered was jij's face, something he had deeply welcomed after all that Orochimaru had put him through, then blackness. But according to his, admittedly slightly hazy, memory, he had been in the office, and while he was no longer naive enough to believe they would leave him there, he had expected the hospital, or at least a detainment-quarter, and neither of those places were supposed to be this damp. He opened his eyes, or rather eye, seeing that the other one was permanently open, and looked around. His first impression was short. It was dark, it was cold, it was wet. All in all, not where he wanted to be. Then he noticed a light coming from around the corner.

While he moved towards it, a single thought crossed his mind. 'Why do I get the feeling that going towards the light is a bad move?'

He turned around the corner, and was standing in front of a giant cage, a small tag with the kanji for seal on it. In the cage, Naruto could see the biggest fox he had ever and in all likelihood would ever see. Suddenly, the question he had asked himself a second ago was no longer an issue, because he had the answer. 'Oh. Because it is.'

The red eye focused on him, and Naruto thought he saw a glint of amusement in that giant eye. _**"So this is my vessel? I must say, I like what I see. He has already a darker mindset than most **_**humans**_** that age, and he is very powerful." **_The word 'human' was spoken with something akin to disgust.

Naruto's brow twitched. "Would the stupid fox mind not talking as if I were not present or unable to understand coherent speech?"

Kyuubi chuckled. _**"And he has guts too, another plus. So far, the only negative I see is that he's the brat of the one who sealed me in here, but I'm starting to see my imprisonment a lot more relaxed than before."**_

Naruto blinked, the gears turning in his head. "The one who sealed you? My father? The Yondaime is..."

Kyuubi snorted. _**"Your father. Of course I can't be completely certain, but I would bet my tails that he is. When he charged me on that toad you in arms, it looked like he was carrying a small clone of himself. The same eyes, the same hair, the same facial structure."**_

Naruto looked at him. "Who is my mother?"

Kyuubi blinked. _**"How in the nine circles of Tartarus and the Shinigami's Throne on top am I supposed to know? Do recall, I spent less than an hour in your silly barrier that doesn't block anything, and never actually entered that village, so how am I supposed to know anything about your family? It's not like I ever bothered to mingle with your kind."**_ Suddenly Kyuubi seemed to recall something. _**"Well, there was this one person, but that was different. He had long transcended humanity, even defeating... but that's beside the point. I never cared enough about humanity to bother with names, except the really strong ones. Since we're on the topic, you seem to have transcended humanity in your own way."**_

Naruto frowned. "It's not like you could mingle with humanity, even if you wanted to. I don't imagine too many humans wanting to talk to a giant fox."

Kyuubi rolled his eyes. _**"I would be a poor excuse of a demon and a kitsune if I couldn't even turn into a human."**_ With that, the entire cage seemed to vanish in a red whirlpool that shrunk, until it was hardly bigger than Naruto, two heads at most. Then it solidified into a shape, and Naruto's jaw dropped.

"Y-Y-You're a woman?" He stuttered.

Kyuubi's eyes rolled. Her voice was much softer, it had a tone that lulled one into what was definitely a false sense of security. _**"Yes, I know. And I must say, I like the way the seal is like this much better, although you have to do something about the room. Mind you, the blood is a wonderful touch, but a little comfort is not too much to ask for."**_

Naruto blinked. "Blood?" Instead of answering, Kyuubi pointed down. What Naruto had believed to be water was really blood! He was standing in a stream of blood! He looked up at Kyuubi, who was suddenly less than two heads taller than him. He blushed.

Kyuubi was, there was no other description, a bombshell. Perfect Hourglass-figure, long blood-red hair going down her back, two fox-ears of the same color twitching on top of her head. Her D-cup cleavage was hardly hidden by the tight red kimono with the fox-pattern that seemed much too short, not only showing off her bust, but also her long, toned legs. Behind her, Naruto could see nine tails swishing around. Her face looked to belong to a goddess, with soft features and crimson, slitted eyes that didn't seem menacing, but gave you the feeling that she was looking down on you with superior amusement. Around her neck was a necklace made of what looked to be black pearls and white magatama (think Inuyasha's necklace), with a large white orb holding the kanji for SEAL inside of it on the front section, strung between two black pearls on each side. Kyuubi noticed the glance to the necklace.

"_**Like it? Thanks to all the mutations, I was able to tweak around a bit with the seal. Sadly, its functions remain unchanged and it undamaged, but at least I can move around more freely. Hm? What's wrong?"**_

Naruto had turned away from her, clutching his right eye as if wanting to rip it out of the socket. Kyuubi grabbed him, spun him around and lifted him off the ground by the collar. _**"Look at me! Why are you turning your head away from me?!"**_ It seemed very disrespectful, and Kyuubi hated disrespect. The only reason she attacked Konoha was that those pests had swarmed and attacked her when she was on one of her travels, and she decided that the quickest way to get rid of the pesky ants was to squash the anthill. In hindsight, it would have been better if she had just got it over with, but she had thought that watching them squirm was kinda funny. Shukaku had told her that her habit to play with her food would one day get her in real trouble. Anyways, Kyuubi's patience with the boy was wearing thin. _**"Answer me, or I'll strangle you with your own guts!"**_

Naruto looked to the side. "I'm not supposed to be here."

Kyuubi blinked. _**"What?"**_ This was _his_ mindscape, if anyone shouldn't be there, it would be her. Not that she wanted to be here. Well, the boy had suddenly become very interesting, but that was beside the point. Speaking of the boy, his face was now amusing to watch, as the deep blush that covered it gave both skin-colors an interesting tone, although it was much easier to spot on the formerly pale side.

Naruto still kept his eyes glued to the side, the left eye that Kyuubi could see was filled with pain. "Look at us." She followed his gaze, and saw their reflection in the blood. "You are perfect." Naruto continued. "A beauty in every sense of the word. I am" He stared at his reflection, at the skin, at the eye. "a freak. An abomination, a monster. I'm hideous. I don't belong in this world!"

Kyuubi looked at him. _**"You have a rather unique tan and an unusual eye, that much I'll admit. Still, I honestly don't see a problem."**_

Naruto stared at her. "Look at me! I'm disgusting, a mockery of human life!"

Kyuubi shrugged. _**"Human life is vastly overrated. And you don't even have to start about beautiful or ugly, I'm a demon. Your human values of what's beautiful or not is beyond my comprehension. Sure, it's nice if a mate doesn't look too strange and doesn't smell too bad, but for any fiend, devil or demon, that's really just unnecessary decoration. Nice, but it works just as well without it. For our kinds, the most important thing, and really the only thing that will really affect the views of you, is strength. Demons, fiends, devils, we are all the same in that point. Our mate can be uglier than dung in human eyes, his strength is what makes him attractive. Take succubi and incubi as examples. They are, by human standards, probably the most beautiful things you'll ever see, still most of them, there are exceptions, are looked down upon because of their weakness. It's not they feed on humans, many species, like vampires or my good old friend Shukaku, consider humans a delicacy, though personally I never understood why. The problem is that most succubi are **_**reliant**_** on the energy they harvest from humans. You don't understand that yet, but feasting on humans to survive is, by our standards, a step below eating out of a dumpster. You don't do it unless you're weak, or desperate. In the latter case, it's usually temporary, and not something one wants to talk about when stronger. Since we're on the topic, that last shot altered you in a way that allows you to digest raw meat, and it seems that the most energy can be gained out of human flesh."**_

Naruto paled. "I'm not going to eat people!"

Kyuubi waved him off. _**"Trust me, it only gets easier after the first time. And I never said you had to eat everyone, although it would be funny, it's merely another option for you, and a great way to freak out enemies. I once knew a vampire that..."**_

Naruto interrupted her. "I get it. Now let me go!"

Kyuubi grinned. _**"Make me."**_

Naruto's scales extended. Kyuubi was surprised that even in his mind, those scales actually drained her youki, although she regenerated the stuff almost as fast as she lost it. When Naruto saw that it wasn't enough, his left arm shot forward, hitting her hard in the shoulder, forcing her to drop him and jump back. In complete disbelief she stared at her shoulder, then behind her. _**'I don't believe it! With a single hit, he stripped me of one of my tails! And not just those weak, watered-down cloak-tails, but an actual bijuu-tail! It'll take over an hour to regenerate it! And despite youki being pretty strong stuff, not to mention that since it was involuntarily stripped from me it should have turned into finest malice, he seems to be just fine and hungry for more. Actually, I don't think that there is any amount of energy he would be unable to absorb, only a limit on how much per second, and I'm not even sure on that. Lets see, with a single short, split-second contact, he stripped a tail from me. Assuming that it wasn't the **_**second**_**ary limit, including the difference in concentration of youki in my tails compared to other demons, then doubling the amount since he has two maws that can eat, subtracting a certain percentage since I am trapped inside of him and the seal is designed to give him access, that would mean... Holy shit, if my calculation is correct, he can devour a three-tailed demon in one go! Still, I'm working with a lot of variables, what-ifs **__**and estimated numbers, so I can't be completely sure until he actually faces one. Still, he just **__**became a lot more attractive as a potential mate.'**_

Kyuubi walked around him, looking at him from scalp to toe, scratching her chin. Naruto got more nervous, causing his scales to shiver, making a sound not unlike the warning of the rattlesnake, and it probably served the same purpose. "What are you doing?" He asked.

Kyuubi tilted her head. _**"I'm evaluating your potential as a mate, and so far, you certainly pass the tests to go into the category 'serious consideration'."**_

Naruto's face seemed to be 50% pink and 50% deep red, as the blush deepened. "W-W-W-What? M-Mate? Me? But I'm..."

Kyuubi roller her eyes. _**"Don't start with the hideous-story again, I already told you that nobody but humans gives a shit about looks."**_

Naruto blinked. "Still, what if I like someone else? You can't just decide that on your own!"

Kyuubi raised her hand. _**"Three things. First of all, sure I can."**_ The index-finger rose_** "Secondly, since I am in your mind, you can't lie to me that easily. We both know you have nobody that you love." **_The middle-finger rose, followed by the ring-finger_** "And finally, even if you found someone who loved you back, who says I have a problem with that?"**_

Naruto blinked. "Run that by me again, I must have misheard you."

"_**For demons, fiends and devils, polygamy is not only accepted, but encouraged. You see, much of someone's strength can be measured by the number and strength of his, or her, mates, though most females are too possessive to take more than one mate at a time, but whoever is dominant can get more than one mate. So if someone can keep a number of strong mates, then he or she is very powerful, which in turn reflects well on said mates, for having gained a powerful partner. This goes especially if the mates are completely different species or even natural enemies. Someone who has both an Frostdevil and a Infernofiend as a mate is obviously very powerful, not only because he gained them, but he is able to keep them from killing each other. So I really wouldn't care much if you gained another mate. In fact, there are very fun things that can only be done with another woman, whether just two girls or a three- or moresome. That would actually be the ultimate show of power, to have an orgy with two, or even more, total opposites at the same time, especially if one can get them to play nice, well relatively nice, with each other."**_ Kyuubi explained, her mind wandering to far away times, with a few friends, a bit of one of mankind's only good inventions, concentrated alcohol, and a lot of free time. That alcohol couldn't actually do any harm to them, that there were no hangovers, and that the stupor could be shaken off instantly if necessary were only a few more pluses on the long list of _Why it's great to not be human_.

Naruto meanwhile had blushed to a impressive shade of crimson, on both sides of his face, that it was almost funny to look at. Kyuubi chuckled to herself. It was fun to tease the boy. And it wasn't like she was going to jump him the next second for a _ride_. It was completely possible she would eventually, but not yet. He showed a lot of strength and even greater potential, but currently, he hadn't quite met the standards that she had. Not that she was surprised, only a single being born human had ever been good enough for a few very great years, before he followed the road of all things mortal, voluntarily no less. Still, it had been fun while it lasted. She looked at Naruto. _**"Don't get ahead of yourself, you're still far, faaar away from that prize. And since you are obviously too busy, can I redecorate this place? It won't have any effects on your mind, it'll just be a bit more... comfortable for those who spend great amounts of time here, such as myself."**_

Naruto could only nod, still incapable of speech due to all the information he had received in a short amount of time, not to mention the topic of a good part of said information.

Kyuubi waved dismissively. _**"That should be enough for a day's worth of revelations, so for now, begone."**_

Naruto felt himself fade away, as he left his mindscape and reentered the realm of the living.

* * *

Kakashi stood before the memorial-stone, once again contemplating his failures. He had lost his comrade, Obito Uchiha, just when he'd learned to like him. He had lost his sensei, Minato Namikaze, when the Kyuubi attacked. And his most recent failure, he had lost Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze, his sensei's son that he should have kept an eye on, especially on October 10th, when the sake flowed, the anger rose and the intelligence sunk. Because he had not watched over him, Naruto had vanished, abducted by an unknown perpetrator.

He looked up when he noticed a presence behind him. He turned around to see Tenzo, a colleague and fellow squad-member from his ANBU-days. He raised a hand. "Yo, what's up?"

Tenzo's brow raised. "You mean you haven't heard the rumor senpai?"

Kakashi furrowed his brows. "What rumor?"

Tenzo looked at him disbelievingly, then he remembered that the rumor had only recently spread beyond the ranks of the ANBU, so it was entirely possible Kakashi had missed the news. Almost sad, considering the fact that there was only one person in the village that would be happier with that information. "Like I said, it's just a rumor amongst the ANBU, although it finally seeped through to the general population, but they say that Naruto Uzumaki is back."

For a second, Kakashi stood as if petrified. Then he found his voice. "If this is a joke, you're dead." An instant later, he was gone.

* * *

Kushina woke up in the stillness of the Namikaze-compound. The clan had been dying out, and while Minato hadn't been the last one, he had been one of the last, and when the Kyuubi had attacked, they had valiantly fought it at the cost of their own lives.

The last Namikaze, the hope they had fought and died for, had at the time been sleeping under Kushina's heart for almost nine months, before the stress brought her into premature labor. Without Tsunade, who had managed to temporarily beat her hemophobia long enough to bring both mother and child through the process alive, although it had been close for her, she would not have made it. Any other doctor, and she would have died.

Still, on the inside she had died that day, when her child was gone and it was reported that her husband had died. Sarutobi had found her in he weakest moment, nearly maddened by the loss of her beloved and the worry for her child. When Sarutobi had told her that her son was dead, she had fallen apart. As soon as she could walk on her own, she packed her things and left, ignoring all begging not to. She was done with Konoha, which had become nothing more than pain for her. Painful memories of the good times with Minato, and painful images of the times they had planned to spend with their child. How they would bring him to the playground, how they would treat him to his first bowl of the wonderful Ichiraku-ramen, how he eventually would become a shinobi and make her go mad with worry while Minato would have encouraged him, how he would have told them of the missions he did, complain about the blasted cat that they weren't allowed to actually blast and later about how he defeated bandits and helped others. Kushina simply couldn't bare living on, watching mothers with their children that reminded her of what could have been. She had sworn herself to never take a single step into Konoha again.

And she had kept her word, until that fateful day she received a letter from Sarutobi. She had read it, before ripping it to shreds and grabbing her trusted sword and a few other things she sealed into a scroll, and marched towards the village hidden in the leaves. Her meeting with Sarutobi was one the old man was unlikely to forget.

* * *

_Flashback_

Kushina waltzed to the door leading to that old monkey's office. The secretary bravely tried to stop her. "You can't go in there, the Hokage is in a meeting!"

Kushina had looked at her, causing the woman to shrink together into herself. "Do I _look_ like I give a shit?!" The secretary wisely moved out of the way, and stood before the door. She decided to skip the knocking.

Sarutobi had been in a fierce discussion with Hiashi, Inoichi and the elders, when the door flew open, kicked in by a heeled boot. In the doorway, like a dark angel of vengeance, stood Kushina, murder in her eyes.

"Sarutobi, we have to talk. Everybody else, out."

Hiashi was shocked to see one of his old friends, one that he firmly believed would never again show her face in Konoha. "Kushina! What are you doing here?"

Danzo was less amused. "Who do you think you are? You may have been the Yondaime's wife," Nobody bothered to ask how he knew that "but to barge into a meeting like this is highly..."

Kushina interrupted him, barely contained anger rolling off her in waves. "I said out. That includes the ANBU hiding on the ceiling and in the corners. NOW!"

Danzo wisely shut up and left as quickly as he could, the others following his example, said ANBU leaving as well. Even Sarutobi tried to leave, but Kushina grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and unceremoniously threw him against his desk. He cleverly activated the soundproofing-seals before he started to talk.

"Now now Kushina, I know you're displeased with my actions, and probably upset and angry, but..."

Kushina stared at him, her voice dangerously quiet. "Angry? Upset? _Displeased_?! Sarutobi, I was _displeased_ when Minato didn't show up to one of our dates. I was _slightly peeved_ when you didn't show up to our wedding. I was _very_ peeved when Jiraya _did_ show up to our wedding, crashing the party. I was _upset_ when I learned that Jiraya had based a woman in his smut on me. I was _angry_ when I found scenes from our wedding-night in said book. Right now, I. Am. FURIOUS!"

Sarutobi started to sweat when he saw her hand inching towards her trusted blade. "Kushina, I couldn't tell you about Naruto, you were in no sane condition! In your state, you might have attacked hi...ARGH!" The sword had pierced his shoulder.

Kushina's face was a grimace of rage. "How dare you?! How dare you even suggest I would hurt my child?!"

Sarutobi hissed in pain. The strike had been well-aimed, bypassing everything that might have caused lasting damage and avoiding the bone. "Kushina, take the sword out! I am still a Kage, and while I understand your actions, if you don't pull it out right now, you will be executed!"

Kushina's eyes wavered, and if she didn't have the hope that Naruto was still out there somewhere, she would have doubtlessly pulled until her sword would have left the old man through the _other_ shoulder, but she pulled her blade out. Sarutobi used a healing-jutsu to fix the worst damage, although a scar would remain. "You understand nothing!" She hissed. "How could you understand my pain. I wasn't in sane condition? What would you have been in? My husband dead, my child nowhere to be found and I can't even go look for him because I'm too weak to leave the bed!" Tears were running down her face. "He was all I had Sarutobi, the only family I had left, and he was gone."

Only now did Sarutobi really understand how he had wronged her. "Kushina, I..."

She stared at him, tears running down her face, as she slapped him in the face. "You took him away from me, you lied to me! You left me thinking he was dead, while all this time..." She couldn't talk, he frame shaken by sobs.

Sarutobi felt the strong urge to beat himself to a pulp. "If there is anything I can do..."

Kushina roared as she jumped at him and started to beat on every inch of him he could reach. "What you can do? WHAT YOU CAN DO?! HAVEN'T YOU DONE ENOUGH?! YOU TOLD ME HE WAS DEAD! YOU TOLD TSUNADE, HIS GODMOTHER, HE WAS DEAD! SHE HAD JUST OVERCOME HER FEAR OF BLOOD, AND WHEN YOU TOLD HER HE DIED, IT CAME BACK SINCE SHE THOUGHT THAT SHE WAS DOOMED TO FAIL NO MATTER WHAT! YOU STOLE OUR FUTURE FROM US, SARUTOBI!"

Sarutobi protected his vitals, but nothing else. He felt that he deserved every last hit. Kushina's fists rained on him, and he felt some bones creak, but he couldn't say anything as Kushina went on, only interrupted by numerous sobs. "Because of _you_ Sarutobi, I missed my son's life. I missed his first step, I missed his first word. I missed his first birthday, and all other ones as well! I didn't get to hold him, I didn't get to calm him when he was screaming, I didn't take care of him when he was ill, I never cooked for him. I wasn't there to help him up when he stumbled, I never got to hug him, never kissed him, never got to tell him that I loved him. I missed his first bowl at Ichiraku's, I didn't buy him his first shuriken, I wasn't there when he entered the academy, I never saw him practice, or gave him pointers. I never met his friends, I never got to scold him, never got to praise him, I never got to be his mother. I don't even know his voice!" Her voice, which had been filled with grief and sobs, was suddenly filled with anger once more.

"Because of your lie, I missed eight years of my son's life Sarutobi, EIGHT YEARS! If you want to do something for me, then give me back those eight years Sarutobi!" Her hits were getting weaker, as Kushina simply didn't have anymore strength. "Give them back to me. Give me what you took away. Give me back my son! He's all... that I..." She slumped together on the floor, unable to do anything but cower there, wailing and crying her heart out.

Sarutobi looked at her. Once she had been known as Uzu's Crimson death, an S-ranked shinobi that Kumo fled from on sight. Now she was just a broken mother that never truly saw her only child, laying before the one who took that last thing away from her. She had lost her home and her family to a mix of natural disasters and a joint-effort of Kumo and Iwa, lost the love of her life to the Kyuubi, and the last thing she had, her son, because of the arrogance of an old man who thought he knew everything, yet couldn't even recognize a distraught and desperate mother. For the first time in his life, Sarutobi truly felt old. Had she grabbed her sword this instant to cut him down, he would not have tried to block. He would not have dodged. He would have welcomed the blade with open arms, embracing the punishment.

But Kushina didn't draw her sword. She just lay there, sobbing and whispering her child's name. It wasn't his death that she wanted, and Sarutobi's death would not have lessened her pain. No, the only thing that could ease her suffering was the one thing he could not give her. He had had eight years to fix his mistake, to make up for his lie and give Naruto the parent the boy had desperately craved, and he had done nothing. Now it was too late.

He felt a painful sting in his heart when he realized that he, someone who was supposed to be a friend, had hurt her more than any of her enemies had ever managed. They had destroyed her country and killed her family. He had betrayed her trust, and that was something none of her enemies could have ever done. He had lied to her face, he had stolen her only family from her, and he never told her until the child had vanished, leaving Kushina in the terrible knowledge that her child grew up without her, that he wouldn't even know her, and that even now that she knew he was alive, she was unable to be with him, she didn't even get to see him. And all because of him.

Before Kushina could tell herself that her son was in heaven with his father, but now that small solace was stripped from her, replaced by the most horrible thing there is for parents, insecurity.

Was Naruto alright? Was he being driven to madness by his tenant? Was he being trained to become a heartless murderer? Was he sick? Was he hurt? Was he being tortured? Was he dying, calling for his mother that couldn't come to help? Was he even still alive, or had Sarutobi's lie become a prophesy?

Sarutobi wondered if it wouldn't have been better to leave Kushina in the belief her son died after birth. Because he wanted to make himself feel better, he had taken the little peace of mind Kushina still had away from her. He cursed himself for his weakness and his arrogance, that had led to this situation. He couldn't look at Kushina. "I'm sorry." That was all he managed to say.

Twenty minutes later, a secretary holding a stash of paper entered, and was shocked at what he saw.

Kushina had managed to sit up, leaning against the wall, with her face buried in her hands, her eyes seemingly devoid of life as tears flowed.

But what really caught the secretary's attention was Sarutobi, who was in a bad shape. His nose was broken, four ribs cracked, his lip was busted, his left eye was swelling shut, and he was black, blue and bloodied all over. Still, he refused any medical attention, stating that "The only one who gets to heal these wounds is time, and that only because I can't stop it."

He then looked at Kushina, before turning to the secretary. "Kushina here is to be given unlimited access to all information pertaining to Naruto Uzumaki, is that clear?"

The woman nodded and Sarutobi left, only turning around once more. "Kushina, Minato left everything to you." Then he turned around, feeling incredibly tired. He knew that Kushina would send a large number of people to the hospital once she read the files, doctors and nurses included, but for the first time in his life, he couldn't bring himself to care.

_End of Flashback_

* * *

Kushina had indeed gone on a rampage, giving the hospital, or those amongst the employees that didn't land on the list of patients, a lot of work. After that was done, she had returned to Sarutobi and given the old man a beating he would never forget. Eventually she had calmed down somewhat, and moved into Minato's compound. Still, every day became a torture for her, the uncertainty, worry and memories threatening to overwhelm her. She had lost count of the days she cried herself to sleep, driven near madness because the only thing she could do was pray.

She noticed a presence in her garden and looked up. It was Yuugao, on of the girls she had personally taught a few things. "What is it?" She asked.

Yuugao was clearly out of breath. "Kushina-sama, I didn't... want to... bother you before I... made sure, but now I heard it from... an eye-witness."

Kushina frowned, a certain tingle growing in her stomach. "What is it?"

Yuugao looked at her, taking a deep breath. "Naruto is back in Konoha."

There was a strong gust of wind, and Kushina was gone.

* * *

As coincident had it, Kushina and Kakashi arrived in front of the Hokage's office at the same time. Kakashi looked at the secretary. "Is the Hokage in his office?"

The secretary, having a feeling of déjà-vu, simply nodded. Kakashi and Kushina looked at each other, before Kakashi made a sidestep. "Ladies first."

Kushina gave him a smile. "Why thank you." She raised her leg, and kicked the door in.

Sarutobi looked up, and sighed. "I've been expecting you two."

Kushina stared at him. "Is it true? Is he back?" She had to restrain herself to not grab the old man by the collar and shake the answer out of him.

Sarutobi sighed again. "That's the problem, we're not sure."

Kakashi summed their thoughts up. "What?"

Sarutobi scratched his head. "You see, the boy literally dropped from the ceiling and onto my desk. Personally I have no doubt that it's Naruto, but to be sure, I ordered a genetic comparison, and the results are... confusing, to say the least."

Kushina looked at him. "How so?"

Sarutobi shrugged. "I can only repeat what the doctor told me, but according to him, the DNA of the boy that landed on my desk has many matches with Naruto's DNA, but there are large patches that don't fit. According to the doctor, one of them seems to belong to Itachi, the others have no matches with anyone in Konoha, so I'm really stumped. Also, while the boy has a blue eye and blond hair, albeit with multicolored strands, there are a few physical characteristics that don't match with the Naruto the vanished from Konoha. There is no seal on the boy's stomach, yet there are traces of Kyuubi's chakra in the boy's system."

Kakashi looked at him. "Pardon me, but did you say _a_ blue eye? Does that mean he only has one eye?"

Sarutobi shook his head. "You heard right, and the boy has two eyes. But his right eye is unlike anything I've ever seen before. There are tomoe like with the Sharingan, but too many and the entire eye seems to consist of a pupil, the tomoe and ripples. Also, he has no right eyelid, so that eye is always open, and even while he was unconscious, it rolled around in the socket and looked at everything and everyone at least once. Also, his tan is most unusual. His left side is very pale, while the right side is very tanned. Curiously, the shift between those two colors is right in the center of his body and without merging. Like there is a line in the middle of his body, and once you go past the line, the color is different. The last facts are things that I personally have not observed, although it has been reported. The boy has mouths on his palms, and it seems that he can grow hard, sharp scales instantly and let them sink back into his skin."

Kushina's face remained unchanged. "I want to see him."

Sarutobi nodded. "I was just about to head there, won't you accompany me?"

They nodded and signaled him to lead the way.

They wanted to see Naruto.

* * *

Chapter 5 is done. Took forever, but things are going crazy now that school is starting again, I rarely have time or strength to write, but I somehow managed.

Yes, I made Kyuubi female, because looking at eastern folklore, it makes sense since most foxes were female and temptresses, plus I simply like the idea. This does NOT mean that Kyuubi will actually be paired with Naruto, I am merely keeping my options open. There are fics were Kyuubi is female but not romantically interested in Naruto, "Naruto: Shattered Eyes" being one of the best I've ever read, a real shame that updates are so rare. Anyways, this chapter doesn't mean that Naruto will be paired with Kyuubi. It also doesn't mean he'll get a harem. I have given Kyuubi a reason not to mind if, and I pressure the word _if_, more women show up. And before people criticize about female pride and that women don't just agree to share, I'll say this. I respect women and I don't think they're mindless drones or something, but in Kyuubi's case it's a cultural difference. Harems are nothing unusual in the animal kingdom, not to mention that cultures existed, and I'm sure somewhere in the world they still do, where it was allowed to have more than one wife, same thing here. But don't worry, IF I decide to make a pairing with more than one girl, it won't be like "I love Naruto." "So do I!" "Then let's share." "Okay." That's stupid. Kyuubi might say something like that, but the other women won't be happy with it. Of course, for me to make a harem, I'd have to decide to make a pairing first.

On a different note, how did you like the chapter? I actually cried a bit when I wrote the scene between Kushina and Sarutobi, but as the author, I'm also more involved in the setting, plus I have the advantage that I have the scene running through my head as a mental movie, so I can actually feel the desperation in Kushina's voice. Simply spoken, I have sound. I tried making it easier by entering signs where Kushina sobbed, but it looked stupid. I also didn't find a way to properly her wails, so you'll have to use your imagination.

AND I KNOW MY STORY WAS COPIED, HE HAD PERMISSION, SO YOU DON'T HAVE TO TELL ME!

Well, onto the reviews.

To jamjmph01: Naruto can't make himself look normal, because his mutation-abilities are like Juugo's, not like Alex Mercer from Prototype. He can grow horns, he can grow tails, he can grow wings, he can change his limbs into weapons if he wants, he can grow additional limbs for all I care, but they look like the transformations of the Level 2 cursed seal. He can't make himself look normal, the only other skin-tan he can do is that brown-gray. If Naruto transforms, he looks like a Level 2 user, and we all know they look like monsters. And yes, Naruto has complete control over where and in what size the scales appear.

To Disciple-of-Godric: You'll see.

To xyzinc: The bijuu are demons in my fic, read my other Naruto-story for reference, so they won't be parts of the Juubi. And Naruto's skin stays the way it is for the foreseeable future.

To shadows24: I can give the cliche-answer that sex isn't everything, but I say use your head. Naruto consciously used his power of mutation on that part to keep it safe from Orochimaru, do you really think he can't get it back? He heals from everything, that includes castration. He can have his balls back whenever he wants to.

To Deadw8: I won't give away too many hints, you'll have to be patient. And as I wrote before, there is no point in giving Naruto a cursed seal, as he already has the power it can grant and more.

To kyunaru: Right now.

To TheDon1023: You're right, I slipped up there. I meant it was the only place he personally knew and where he could hope for not only a hiding-place, but help. Do remember, he didn't go there for Konoha, but for the Hokage, the only person who was kind to him, powerful enough to protect him while he's out, and not in league with Orochimaru. And I gave Naruto one normal eye because the Rinnegan can't deactivate and they would label Naruto a complete freak to anyone who sees him, the tan would simply make him look strange. And it would tip the council off much too quickly, I want to keep that for later. Naruto will, as I hinted, hide his right eye unless he needs to use it, as it gives him a deep feeling of being different and a freak. And as I wrote in my first reply, Naruto can't change into other people.

To exeafirm: I forgot to mention it, but yes he did.

To Born in Fire: He will be a bit positive, at least at first. But as I wrote to dracohalo117 in one of the previous chapters, his mood can change instantly and go from happy to cold in a split-second. But don't worry, he won't chase after Sakura, and she definitely won't be a pairing for Naruto in either of my Naruto-stories. And of course those two will make another appearance.

Well, that's all folks, so

Please Review


	6. A unexpected Meeting

Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

* * *

Naruto opened the eye that was still able to close. The ceiling was unfamiliar, which was good. It looked eerily similar to the one he was used to, which was bad. He tried to sit up, only to find himself strapped to the metal plate that they probably called his bed. Not in the mood for calling or pulling another disappearing-act, he simply summoned his scales at the areas and made them shiver. It was a strange feeling, but he had gotten used to it in the first weeks when he couldn't pull them back in. After a few seconds, the leather-restraints were sawed through, and Naruto sat up. The room was fairly plain, 5 times 5 meters across, the metal table being the only object here.

Well, not quite. Naruto's right eye told him that there was a large spot of chakra on the ceiling, roughly human-sized. He sighed and focused both eyes on the spot, although the left one didn't see anything but an empty piece of ceiling. "Why don't you come down from up there? It can't be comfortable, and since we're alone, it's probably boring, if not lonely."

For a second, nothing happened, then an ANBU with a tiger-mask dropped from the ceiling and looked at Naruto. "How did you know I was here?" He asked.

Naruto smiled. "That's for me to know and you to never find out, isn't it? With all due respect, I don't trust you enough to share my secrets with you. Truth be told, I don't trust you at all. I'm assuming I'm in Konoha? It'd really suck if I landed in the wrong place."

Tora looked at him. "What will you do if this isn't Konoha?"

Naruto shrugged. "I'll leave. But I'm pretty sure this is Konoha, I saw jiji's face before I passed out. Or I think I did." He frowned. "I'll just go check." His right eye had been focused on the ANBU, who had flashed through a number of handsigns.

"I'm afraid my mission is to make sure you don't leave. _Mokuton: Jubaku Eisou._"

Roots wrapped themselves around Naruto, who remained calm. Once Tora he released the handsigns, he whistled, looking at the wood that was binding him. "I thought that died out with the Shodaime." Then he raised his scales, and managed to free his left arm. That was all he needed. He put his hand on one of the roots, the mouth on his palm, now filled with razor-sharp teeth, biting into it. To Tora's surprise, the entire plant withered to dust in seconds, Naruto shaking himself to get rid of said dust.

He grinned. "Mind if I try that?" The Sharingan-function of his eye had memorized every handseal, while the Rinnegan had shown him that in the final handsign, the ANBU had held Earth-chakra in one hand and Water-chakra in the other. Naruto knew how to make elemental-chakra, having learned it from the memories of his puppets and having secretly practiced it in his cell, and from Suiyoukito's memories he knew how to merge elements, although he noticed that the final handsign to make Wood was different from the one to make Steam. So Naruto flashed through the handsigns. "_Mokuton: Jubaku Eisou!_"

Tenzo's eyes bulged behind his mask as root shot out of the ground, each one almost as thick as he was. With his reflexes, he dodged all vines that shot at him, the plant instead grabbing the table, slamming into the ceiling and breaking tiles on the walls and floor.

Naruto looked around, before saying the only thing that came to mind. "Um, ups."

Tora sweat-dropped, but he remained focused. "Please remain calm, the Hokage will be here shortly."

Naruto's face lit up. "Well, why didn't you say so in the first place?" He sat on the table he had just freed from the grip of the roots before withering them away and waited for jiji. It wasn't a long wait.

* * *

Sarutobi motioned the others to wait outside until he had received information from the kid that only Naruto could have, and to his own surprise, they actually listened. When he stepped in, Naruto actually smiled from the dept of his heart, something he hadn't done for years. "Jiji, I'm back."

Any doubt about the boy's identity that may have remained melted away. There was only one smile like that, although Sarutobi noticed that a twinge of bitterness seemed hidden in his features. "Good to see you Naruto. You have to understand that with your new looks" A short twitch in Naruto's face betrayed his emotions "just to make sure you're... well, you. Personally I have no doubts, but protocol demands certain things."

Naruto nodded. "I'm Naruto Uzumaki, if my sense of time didn't completely leave me, I should be eleven or twelve. I was born in this shithole as an orphan, mistreated by nearly the entire population of Konoha, thrown out of the orphanage at four, given an apartment by you when after a month on the streets without any food and rain as my only source of water when I happened to be spotted by a ANBU-patrol, I recall two masks, a dog and a weasel. Anyways, my apartment was vandalized on a weekly basis. I got my first bowl from Ichiraku's when I was six, miso, old man Ichiraku handed one to me for free when the rest of the village was in another phase of let's-not-sell-Naruto-anything-so-that-if-we're-lucky,-he'll-starve. What was that noise?"

Sarutobi blinked. He knew exactly what that noise was, it was Kushina reducing a wall to rubble, as the behavior of the merchants and restaurant-owners had not been noted in any file. He coughed. "That was nothing, please go on."

Naruto shrugged. "Anyways, Ichiraku's has been my favorite place ever since, and I often nagged you into buying me ramen there, much to the chagrin of your wallet I assume. Then there were those fun mobs that beat me to death's door on my every birthday. And as I've just recently discovered, I'm also the jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi, sealed into me by my father, the Yondaime. By the way, when were you planning on telling me that?"

Sarutobi sighed. "I was planning on telling you about the Kyuubi when you graduated and were actually able to understand that you were not the fox. About your father, you have to understand that he has made powerful enemies in his time, both outside and inside of the village, who wouldn't hesitate to kill you simply because you are _his_ son. I couldn't risk revealing your heritage before you could defend your life. I planned to tell you when you became sixteen or made Chunin, whatever happened first. But it seems that decision was taken out of my hands. I'm convinced that you're you now, but what happened to you?"

Naruto shrugged. "I was kidnapped and used as a guinea-pig."

Sarutobi looked at him. "Is that the reason that parts of your DNA match Itachi Uchiha's?"

Naruto looked up in surprise. "Itachi Uchiha? Part of my DNA looks like Itachi Uchiha? As in _the_ Uchiha-clan? Well, I suspected as much. So now I know another one of my parents."

Sarutobi blinked in confusion. "Why are you referring to Itachi as your parent?"

Naruto gave him a serious look. "Because it sounds better than gene-donor."

Sarutobi stared. "You were injected with Itachi's DNA?"

Naruto nodded. "Apparently, amongst others."

Sarutobi shook his head. "How many do you know of?"

Naruto frowned. "Let's see, there's Kimimaro Kaguya, a servant of the madman who tinkered with my DNA. Then I heard of someone named Juugo, who was an experiment much like myself, only that he was dumb enough to voluntarily step into the trap, hoping for help. According to you, there's Itachi. The only one I actually met was Kimimaro, who in turn told me about Juugo. I know of two more in Ame, one somehow associated with Iwa, another one I only have the name of, someone I suspect came from Suna, and that's it, although there have to be a few more."

The Hokage was in shock. "Who did this to you?"

Naruto looked at him, his voice filled with loathing and absolute hatred. "Orochimaru."

Sarutobi once again cursed his weakness on the day he could have ended the man, but had chosen not to.

His thoughts were interrupted by a string of curses and insults harsh enough to make a armada of drunken sailors blush and shiver.

Naruto's brow shot up, and he whistled in respect. "A herd of a thousand camels up his ass, their fleas to his crotch and his arms too short to reach either? Creative I must say." He looked at Sarutobi. "Do you have paper and a pen? I get the feeling I might learn something."

Sarutobi gave him a harsh look. "I really don't think that's appropriate language for you."

Naruto shrugged. "Jiji, once you've been up to your elbows in a corpse, language really loses importance."

The string of curses stopped for a second, before doubling in volume and intensity. Naruto grinned. "Whoever that is, she sure has a mouth on her. Who is she cursing, and who is she?"

Sarutobi started to fidget. "Those curses are directed at Orochimaru I believe. As for who that is... I owe you an apology Naruto, actually, I owe you much more."

Naruto's eye narrowed. "Why?"

Sarutobi gulped. "Naruto, the woman outside... is your mother."

Naruto's eye widened, for a second making both eyes equal in size, before his hand shot up to cover the right one when the door opened.

The woman who stepped in gave Naruto a nervous smile. "Hello son, I am Kushina, your mother. You can take the hand down, I know about your eye. That is a one-way-mirror, so I've seen it already." She pointed at the mirrored wall.

Slowly, Naruto's hand moved down from his face. He simply looked at her, his left eye overflowing with emotion. Disbelief, hope, suspicion, hurt, betrayal, all of them were seen in that blue mirror of the soul. Finally he spoke. " I always thought you were dead. Where were you all these years?"

Kushina sent Sarutobi a look of hatred. "He told me you were dead! I woke up and you were gone, then he came in and told me you had died! I left Konoha, I just couldn't stay here after losing both my husband and my child. I'm so sorry Naruto, I never knew..."

She had come closer, tears in her eyes, and hugged him. Naruto remained strangely stiff. She eventually let go of him, and merely looked at him, without saying a word. She had explained herself, now it was up to Naruto whether or not he'd accept her. All she knew was that she would kill Sarutobi, then end her own life if her son refused to have anything to do with her.

Naruto looked at her, then his hands slowly rose, cupping her face, the palms resting on her cheekbones and the fingertips on her temples. Naruto looked into her eyes. "How do you feel about me? What are your thoughts about me? About what I am now?" He asked.

Kushina was about to answer when she noticed that Naruto's blue eye wasn't focused on her, but seemed to be looking _through_ her for some reason. Finally, Naruto removed his hands from Kushina's face, and simply looked into her eyes again, only that tears were running down the left side of his face, the right eye unable to show such emotion. He whispered one word. "_Mommy._" and hugged her, Kushina wrapping her arms around him after a shock-second, tears running down her face as well. For the first time in his life, Naruto felt like a child. This was one of the few signs of caring that he received in his life, and the number of people who gave him those could be counted on one hand. Naruto strangely felt at peace, and knew that if this moment would go on for the rest of his life, he wouldn't mind.

Sarutobi couldn't help but let a few tears drop at the touching scene, although the purely professional part of his mind realized that Naruto had read Kushina's mind, the questions obviously calling up her thoughts of her son, and finding nothing but love and grief, he had accepted her. Such an ability would be perfect for interrogation, and from Naruto's comment on digging around in corpses, he probably would adjust quickly. As soon as the thought popped up, it was brutally squashed by Sarutobi's conscience, as he had long ago decided not to use Naruto as a pawn. Still, he had potential, and maybe not just for interrogation, and realizing that was okay.

When he saw mother and son finally separate, he cleared his throat. Both gave him a dirty look for interrupting this very private moment, but they listened.

"Naruto, I know this is a bad time, but will you join our ranks as a Konoha-shinobi?"

Kushina looked appalled, but Naruto seemed to weigh his options, before he finally scratched his head. "I guess so. I want to pay Orochimaru back for his hard work on my person, and the invasion seems to be my best chance, so why not? But there are a few conditions."

Sarutobi looked at him. "What invasion?"

Naruto shrugged. "I heard about it from my... caretakers. In little over a year, Orochimaru apparently planned to invade Konoha and burn it to the ground. I think he actually went as far as to build his own village for that purpose, at least I never saw musical notes on a headband before."

Sarutobi frowned. A year from now. What was in a year from now? The chunin-exams in Konoha! And he had heard rumors of a village calling itself Oto from Jiraya who had suspected Orochimaru's involvement. Still, thanks to Naruto, they now had a year to prepare. "That is worrying, but thanks to you, we may be able to prepare a few surprises for my old student. Still, what else can you tell me about this invasion?"

Naruto shrugged again. "Not much. All I know is that it happens, and that the snake wanted my body by that time."

Sarutobi blinked. "Your body?"

Naruto looked at him. "You didn't know? He has some sort of jutsu that allows him to leave his body behind like a shed skin and take over someone else, until he deems that body worthless and moves on. Creating the perfect body was his only reason for making me like this. I heard that he possessed a sword-mistress from Kusa already, and he planned to have me as his next vessel, though that failed, as you can see."

Sarutobi nodded. He wouldn't put it beyond his student to really come up with something like that. "You mentioned conditions?"

Naruto nodded. "Three. First, I reserve the right to leave this place and never return should the situation become unbearable, and I will be neither marked as a Nuke-nin nor hunted, same applies for any member of my family, should it come to that. We may also return into this village without any repercussions, unless we actually commit a crime, of course." Sarutobi frowned, but he nodded, understanding where that came from. Naruto raised his second finger. "Second, I want all information you have on Itachi Uchiha. If I am to understand what I am, I need to know what I was made of."

Sarutobi sighed. "I can't really understand what you must feel, but I have an idea, so that's good enough. Understand that there is some classified information that I can't just give you right now, as it could compromise village-security, and you have yet to show that you can be trusted with such sensible information."

Naruto nodded. "Acceptable. And finally, I reserve the right to, when not on missions, travel freely through the elemental nations. As you yourself can attest, I have a way of traveling that allows me to cover a lot of ground in little time. I will be back on time for missions, and I'll spend a lot of time with my mother, but I need to know."

Kushina looked sad as she stroked his hair, but she really couldn't argue. Naruto's voice had sounded desperate, and Kushina knew best how it felt to have something permanently eating at you.

Sarutobi nodded. "You have almost three months left until the next class graduates. I'm afraid you'll have to start a genin, like everyone else. I can't give you a higher rank, since you probably don't want to reveal too much about your abilities. So you have three free months, although I hope you won't mind if I borrow a bit of your time to talk. Both about private matters, and perhaps you can give us information that you might initially not count as important. But for now, I'll leave you and your mother alone. You two probably have a lot to talk about." He turned to leave, before stopping one last time. "I nearly forgot."

Naruto opened his hand and caught what Sarutobi had tossed to him. It was an eye-patch. "How did you...?"

Sarutobi smiled. "You're not the only shinobi with two different eyes, and while yours doesn't seem to drain you as much as his, I suspected that you may want to cover it in public, as it does draw attention."

Naruto looked at the stringed patch of leather, before putting it on and smiling. "Thanks... jiji."

Sarutobi's heart warmed, as the nickname showed that Naruto didn't hate him because of the story with his mother. He left the room and nodded to Kakashi, who had heard everything. "I think it's best we give those two some time for themselves."

Kakashi nodded. "An excellent suggestion, Hokage-sama."

* * *

Three days had passed, and it had been the happiest three days of his life. If one would ask what happened, the answer would be "Not much". He spent time with his mother, doing mundane chores and simply spending time together, cooking, cleaning, playing games, wrestling around, sword- and martial arts-lessons and snuggling together. And ordering some stuff, okay okay, a lot of stuff, for his puppets, but that was beside the point. Still, for Naruto, those were wonderful times. Right now he had a meeting with jiji, and his mother had said that no matter what you think of another person, if you have a meeting arranged, it's polite to show up a bit early.

So when the Hokage entered, he found Naruto sitting in his chair, reading through the paperwork with a frown. Then the boy looked up. "Hi jiji, kaasan said it's polite to be early, so I showed up a little early. But I have to ask, why are you doing this crap?"

Sarutobi sighed. "Naruto, I don't like it much either, but as Hokage, you have certain responsibilities you can't just shrug off, and..."

Naruto interrupted him. "No jiji, you misunderstand me. I wasn't asking why you were _doing_ this crap, I was asking why _you_ were doing this crap."

Sarutobi raised a brow. "What do you mean?"

Naruto pointed at some of the sheets. "Where is the necessity in informing the Hokage if Umoroka's seafood wants to start selling a new type of shrimp? Why does Sachisaku's noodlehouse need the Hokage's permission to redecorate their store? Lousy shop by the way, they tried to poison me, but I digress. Or here, for what is this sheet? Why would the Hokage care if a ship of the merchant guild sunk and they bought a new one? What does the Hokage have to do with this years cotton-harvest, small as it is? To put my question in a more obvious way, don't you have staff for these kind of things?"

Sarutobi blinked and, for the first time in years, actually critically looked at the piles that were stacking on his desk, Naruto providing assistance. What he saw made him gape. Over 90% of what was on his desk was absolutely mundane, and in some corner of his mind, Sarutobi did recall having a few people that were supposed to take care of such things. He wrote a quick note, called his secretary, a woman that, to Naruto's surprise, gave him a friendly smile instead of a glare. Sarutobi handed her the note and a trolley for the unneeded paperwork before giving her orders what to do. She actually broke out in a grin, after recovering from the shock that the dozen people that were hanging around in the lower levels of the tower sleeping and molesting women actually had a purpose. She left with a short bow.

* * *

Taro just woke up from a refreshing nap when the secretary entered with a trolley. A few of his colleagues looked up from their card-game to send a few catcalls and whistles her way. Taro straitened himself. He had the best job in the entire village, ridiculous pay and no work, and he couldn't be happier. Still, it was rare for the Hokage's secretary to come down here. Still, the woman was hot, and since his desk was the closest, she headed to him. He made a grab for her firm ass, but she slapped his hand pretty hard.

She gave him a cold glare before pointing at the trolley. "Work."

Taro snorted. She had apparently been demoted, which explained her lousy mood, and didn't know how things worked. "Send it up to the Hokage's office honey."

He saw her lip twitch. "Guess where it's coming from dipshit."

The room suddenly grew quiet enough to hear a pin drop onto the carpeted floor, Taro blinked in shock. He must have misheard the woman. "What?" he croaked.

Now the woman was smiling. "The Hokage looked over his work, and found that most of the stuff wasn't really important enough to land on his desk, so he sent it down. Oh, and he told me to read a notice to you all." She pulled out a sheet of paper and cleared her throat, a smug look on her face.

"_By order of the Sandaime Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi, all of you are to show your dossiers that hold your daily notes and personally give detailed information on the work you've done so far. You are also give detailed reports on the work you've done the last few years, which will be officially confirmed. According to the results of this evaluation, your paychecks will be adjusted. Also, if it turns out that one or more parties have not done their work for any amount of time, they are to return their pay for the particular timeframe. Failure to do so will lead to confiscation of private property, such as house, furniture, land, personal belongings, and so on. Should the confiscated items not be enough to cover the debt, than the involved party will work the debt off. After the sum is paid back, should it be necessary, the parties involved in such an action will be trialed for fraud, abuse of power, stealing from the Hokage, treason, and other charges that may vary. Those that may be involved in such a scandal and don't directly work in this office will also be put on trail for assisting in a crime. That is all."_

She looked up, a shit-eating grin on her face. "I wouldn't try anything funny, the Hokage was pissed. Not that I blame him if he really was doing all the work for years. Just in case it interests you, a ANBU has used the time I've spent talking to take a look at your workstation. Also, as long as this goes on, you may be observed to keep anyone from trying something stupid, like leaving the country or cutting their wrists. By the way, the Hokage expects that pile to be done by the end of today. If he did such piles daily, then twelve people should easily be able to do so, don't you think? Have a nice day." With that, she left.

Taro sat there, motionless. He couldn't believe it. His entire existence had just crashed. He looked around. He saw the decorations they had done to the place. He saw the poker-game, saw the cigar-filled ashtrays, saw the pool-table, saw the bar. They had turned the office into a lounge, and if that bitch had told the truth, and something in her smile told her she had, then it wouldn't do them any good even if they managed to make it look like a normal office. God, their dossiers. They had either not used them, or in worse cases used them as diaries for their more fun days. Taro understood one thing. They. Were. Screwed.

At that point, another man came stumbling back into the office/lounge, dead drunk, barely standing and back from the bathroom. For a second, Taro thought he heard a snicker, and suspected they were already being watched by ANBU. The man looked into the grimaces on their faces. "Whutimish?"

Nobody answered.

* * *

Sarutobi, now sitting in his chair that Naruto had cleared, looked at the stack of papers, hardly as thick as a magazine. He was giddy, but remained focused. "Naruto, I wanted to talk about your planned journeys."

Naruto nodded. "What about them?"

Sarutobi took a drag out of his pipe. "First of all, I have to ask you that once you become a shinobi of Konoha, you don't wear your headband while on those journeys. That way, you can make a quick exit if need be and nobody knows where you're from, plus there are places, like Iwa, where Konoha-nin aren't very welcome."

Naruto nodded. "I see. Anything else?"

Sarutobi nodded. "Yes actually. Since you said you wanted to find those whose DNA you share, and I recall you mentioning two of them in Ame, I wish to ask you to stay away from that place, at least in the near future."

Naruto's eye narrowed. "Why?"

Sarutobi sighed. "Ame is in lock-down. Anyone trying to enter that didn't announce his visit and exact route three months in advance is summarily executed. Ame's leader, Salamander Hanzo is merciless in that aspect. There is simply no way he'll allow..."

"Hanzo is dead." Naruto interrupted.

Sarutobi blinked. "What did you say?"

Naruto sighed. "Salamander Hanzo is dead, and has been dead for at least four years, probably one or two more."

Sarutobi didn't believe his ears. "What makes you so sure?"

Naruto gave him a deadpanned look. "I had his corpse on my workbench."

Sarutobi shook his head. "It must have been one of his body-doubles, he has a few of them running around. Naruto, you don't understand what Hanzo is. He is a master strategist, and in terms of sheer power, he was able to effortlessly defeat all three Sannin at the same time. Adding his contract, it is simply not possible for that man to perish without anyone noticing, he killed the Nidaime!"

Naruto massaged his temples. "I'm aware of all that jiji, but I can assure you, Hanzo is dead." Then he got an epiphany. "Maybe this will do what my words can't." He pulled down the collar of his new T-shirt, revealing a few seal-tattoos. He focused on one, and with a POOF, a large scroll manifested in Naruto's hands. "Have a look jiji, the Salamander-contract, with Hanzo's signature as the last one. And unlike the red signatures of active users, his is black. What does that tell us?"

Sarutobi stared at the scroll. He could tell it was authentic, knowing Hanzo's handwriting. He motioned to Naruto to reseal the scroll, and slumped together on his seat. "The only way the handwriting turns black is when the user quits the contract or... dies. I don't believe it. Salamander Hanzo is dead." He straitened up. "Naruto, do you even know what that is?"

Naruto shrugged. "A summoning-contract. Like yours with the monkeys, or the Sannin with the snakes, slugs and toads, why?"

Sarutobi shook his head. "Wrong Naruto. Few people know this due to summoning-contracts being very rare from the start, but there are three levels of contracts. On the lowest level are the normal contracts, for monkeys, snakes, slugs, toads dogs and so on. Then there is the second level, which has two types of contract that go in that level. There are the Ancient-contracts, and the Mythical-contracts. Both are much rarer than normal contracts, and much more powerful. There are only four contracts for the highest level, the four sacred contracts of the Divine Dragons, the Great Phoenixes, the Holy Tigers and the Sacred Turtles, although there hasn't been a summoner for any of the four in centuries, if not millenia. Salamanders are a Mythical-contract, and therefore far superior to normal summoned beasts."

Naruto blinked, shocked by the old man's words. "What other Ancient- or Mythical-contracts are currently in use?"

Sarutobi frowned. "Aside from the Salamanders, there are no confirmed reports, although rumors claim that a little girl in Mitsu no Kuni (Land of Honey) that can summon unicorns, which are actually a lot more dangerous than they sound. Why didn't you sign the scroll yet?"

Naruto shrugged. "Not sure. Didn't feel like it, I guess."

Sarutobi nodded. "What can you tell me about Hanzo's death?"

Naruto looked at him. "The one who killed him had eyes like my right one, only without the tomoe. It was strange. they were six people, yet they talked like one person. There was a woman there, but she didn't do anything but watch. The man who killed Hanzo called himself "The God of Ame, Pein", if it helps any."

Sarutobi seemed lost in thought. "I see. Maybe Jiraya can make heads and tails out of this mess. Still Naruto, now I want to ask you to not go to Ame for a while even more, as we can't predict the plans and actions of those people. And one thing I've been meaning to ask you, why aren't you using a _Henge_ or a genjutsu on yourself?"

Naruto shrugged again. "Tried it, didn't work. My skin absorbs chakra, so they always fade away after a few minutes at best. And I still want to go on a short journey in a week or so. But fine, I'll stay away from Ame for now." When Sarutobi nodded and waved him off, Naruto muttered "Though I can't promise Ame will stay away from me."

* * *

Kabuto had just finished one of Orochimaru's experiments. After the disaster with Naruto, Orochimaru had learned a valuable lesson: Don't give your subjects abilities to escape that you can't stop. He had decided to worry about Naruto later, and go back to Plan A, get the Sharingan, worry about making it last later. If push came to shove, he could just breed himself new Sharingan-hosts, patience was something the Sannin had in spades.

Fortunately for Kabuto and Karin, they had been by Orochimaru's side when Naruto made his exit, so he never suspected they have anything to do with it, meaning they got to keep their heads, which had been more than they themselves had expected, and more than many others were able to say, as Orochimaru in his rage had not been picky on whom or what to let it out on. Still, without a Naruto to supervise, Orochimaru had eventually sent Karin to a different base to keep things in order, so the workload for Kabuto didn't exactly decrease. And he had to spend a certain amount of time in Konoha as to not be identified as a spy. He still had a few days until he had to really leave, so there was no need to hurry. Still, it was a shame Karin was gone, Kabuto had started to like her. They were similar, medically interested, bounced ideas off each other and most importantly, they were co-conspirators, which chained them together by default.

Suddenly something clicked in Kabuto's head, and he looked up. A single phrase escaped his lips. "Oh crap, Sasori-sama won't be happy about this."

* * *

Kabuto looked around nervously. This place was simply too close to Konoha for a meeting with a S-ranked Nuke-nin. Of course, he wasn't dumb enough to say that to Sasori's face. The man had demanded reports on Orochimaru's activities in the last years, something Kabuto hadn't done because with Naruto, he was simply too busy organizing schedules and making sure they were kept to give reports. But now that he had more time, Sasori was waiting for the overdue report. Kabuto had outdone himself, not only copying the entire files on Naruto, but also mixing in older copies he had made of Naruto's puppet-ideas. Still, he had no idea how to break the news to Sasori and come out with his head still attached.

Said hunched figure was standing before him right now. Kabuto bowed. "Sasori-sama. I apologize, but I do not have much time, I am on a tight schedule, so you will forgive I ask to make things short." He pulled out a scroll. "I have sealed all information pertaining to Orochimaru's actions that I was able to gather in this scroll." Then he pulled out a second, albeit smaller scroll. "And I thought you might find this interesting, Sasori-sama."

The figure nodded and the left hand extended, grabbed the scrolls and vanished beneath the cloak. A deep voice rand from the figure. "Very well. You may leave, but I expect you take less time between your reports."

Kabuto bowed. "Of course, Sasori-sama." He quickly left towards Konoha, and the last thought he had before the mental gates slammed shut and took all memories of what had happened was that Kabuto felt very lucky that by the time Sasori would read the report, he would be far, faaar away.

Sasori meanwhile looked at the larger scroll he had taken into his puppet, and unsealed the first pages. His eyes wandered down the writing, then he froze. "THAT SON OF A BITCH!"

* * *

The holographic Akatsuki-members were a bit curious. Sasori had called a full meeting, something that had never happened before. Normally Sasori simply informed the Leader, who then decided whether or not to call a meeting. For Sasori to personally call such a meeting out of nowhere, something major must have happened. Sasori and Deidara were the only real people, as Sasori couldn't show the information he had as a hologram. When all where present, Leader looked at him. "Sasori, why have you called for this meeting?"

Sasori actually seemed to struggle to keep his calm. "It concerns Orochimaru. We decided to not bother with him for now, but his latest stunt is too much! I have a spy in his organization, and the information I received is a punch in the gut."

Leader raised a brow. "What is so worrying?"

Sasori sneered. "He stole from us! Orochimaru stole from us, and we let him!"

Leader seemed confused. "Elaborate."

Sasori complied, and the more he talked, the lower the jaws of the Akatsuki-members dropped. Itachi and Nagato were the most shocked, only now realizing how their pride had made them believe to be invincible. But none of the members had noticed anything, although some in hindsight did recall unusual behavior from Orochimaru, well, more unusual than normal. When Sasori further elaborated that Orochimaru had picked a child to give every power to in hopes of later on taking the body, Zetsu snapped.

"**I won't** let him! I won't let him use my **curse to poison others!**"

Sasori let a low growl. "Sadly, we're too late. Since the snake's experiments were dropping like flies, he snatched the Kyuubi's jinchuuriki and pumped everything and then some more into him. He survived, and according to my report, the kid has all our abilities."

Hidan let loose a flood of insults and curses, interrupted only by words like "Sacrilege!", "Blasphemy!", "The avatar's power to a non-believer.", or "That fucking snake will be Jashin's most glorious sacrifice!"

Finally, Leader interrupted him. "Enough. That child cannot remain with Orochimaru."

Sasori nodded. "Here the good news starts. The child escaped using Zetsu's power, his current whereabouts are unknown."

Zetsu was impressed. It had taken him weeks to learn that, and from the data Sasori had spread out before them, the kid had only had a few hours time to make it work. Still, this was, by all means, a catastrophe. Those abilities were not meant to be spread, even if the boy didn't have schizophrenia that would split him into two-yet-one people, Zetsu's DNA would not be good for his social life.

Nagato growled. "It seems we were too lenient with our old associate. Right now we lack the time to deal with him, but I believe it's about time we tie up that particular loose end."

The other members nodded and vanished, many dark thoughts of what to do with a certain snake running through their heads. Deidara walked off, muttering something about doing some art to calm down, which probably meant he was going to blow up the mountain a few miles away.

Sasori meanwhile looked at the smaller scroll Kabuto had given him. If they could, Sasori's brows would have shot up in interest. Before him, in somewhat shaky handwriting, were plans and ideas for puppets, or to be more precise, for puppet-equipment. Sasori was intrigued. He knew from Kabuto's reports that Naruto had taught himself everything he knew concerning puppetry, and this was the result of his work. Some of the ideas wouldn't work, some ideas had already been thought up before, but others were simply brilliant. Although the boy obviously didn't know anything about seals and therefore couldn't turn many good ideas into reality, the very concept of them impressed Sasori. The boy had recognized the biggest flaw of human-puppets, the fragile, irreplaceable heart and come up with an idea to keep it out of danger, even if he couldn't practically apply it yet. Yet it was, at least in theory, incredibly simple. You put a membrane around the heart, and if that membrane is damaged, the heart will be teleported to a safe location for later reuniting with the rest of the puppet that could easily be repaired. It seemed to be based on summoning and reverse-summoning, and Sasori, not having a summon, or blood to call one, didn't know enough on that topic to simply create the seals for the membrane right now. Still, it was a great idea, and only one of many in the scroll, which he would spend some time to work through. Sasori felt something he had never felt before and couldn't place, although he suspected it could be akin to parental pride for this kid that worked with his theories and notes, carrying his DNA.

* * *

Naruto blinked into the morning-sun. He stood in the garden before the Namikaze-compound, accompanied by his mother and Sarutobi. He had decided to start his first little journey, and promised he'd be back in time for dinner, as it was only supposed to be a short little scout. He didn't even have a specific goal, maybe he just wanted to fully taste the freedom of going wherever he wanted after he had been locked up for so long.

Kushina hugged him, clearly not wanting to let go of her child so soon after she finally got it back. But still she understood him an a way only loving mothers can, seeing his need to understand, to _know_. She gave Naruto a kiss on the forehead. "And remember Naruto, if strange people bother you, go somewhere else. And if you meet an old man with long white hair and a horned forehead-protector with the kanji for "Oil" on it..."

Naruto nodded. "Kick him in the balls and say it's from you, I know."

Sarutobi had somewhat twitched at the last statement, but when he looked at Naruto, his eyes were cam and serious. "Naruto, you remember what we agreed upon, yes?"

Naruto rolled his visible eye. "Yeah yeah, I won't go to Ame for now, happy?"

Sarutobi looked him in the eye, before nodding. "Good luck Naruto."

Said boy smiled. "Thanks. I'll see you later jiji, and I'll see you sooner, kaasan."

Kushina smiled. "Don't wait too long, we're having house-made ramen for dinner."

Naruto's eye lit up. Kushina's ramen was as almost as good as the ramen at Ichiraku's, and since they both loved ramen, it usually didn't last very long. He nodded. "I'll definitely be back before dinner!"

Kushina shook her head, hugged him tightly and gave him another kiss. Naruto, unlike most other children that age, wasn't embarrassed by his mother's affection, he loved it, mostly due to the fact that he had gotten hardly any affection for the last twelve years.

When Kushina finally released him, Naruto said his temporary goodbyes, gave a last wave and sank into the ground. He was about to learn that when you used Zetsu's ability with such a vague destination like "Anywhere but Ame or Oto", you can land anywhere but Ame or Oto. So when he slid out of a wall, he had no idea where he was. Not a good start.

* * *

Chapter 6 is done. Wasn't planning on putting another chapter up so soon, but hey, democracy decided, I oblige. Still, the next chapter may take a little bit of time, since I want to update my other stories too.

Where will Naruto land? Who will he meet? What will happen? It's my call, but I'd still like to hear your opinion. If I like your suggestion, I might use it in one of his journey's, I still have two months for Naruto to travel before the newest batch of genin graduate. Anyways, he'll be abroad next chapter, and if I don't write too much about his first free trip, he'll meet the council of Konoha. Oh the fun I'll have writing that.

Anyways, I myself say that there are certain traits of Naruto's behavior that may initially be seen as odd, so I'll explain. Naruto joked around with Tenzo because he was relaxed. He saw that there were no seals keeping him from sinking into the ground, not that he couldn't just suck the chakra out of them if they did exist, so he knew he could make an exit if needed. He was cheerful with Sarutobi because he trusted him, and he was still giddy from escaping the snake we all love to hate. Regarding Kushina, he was hurt at first, but mind-reading not only ensures you know the truth, but you also see things from their point. Naruto saw Kushina's love, worry and regret, and lets be honest, he is craving for love, having experienced so little of it in his life. He will act different with other people, although he will try to be friendly first. If they are friendly, he will be, if they're arrogant, he will ignore them, if they attack or insult his loved ones... I'll leave that to your imagination. As for why he forgave Sarutobi, he didn't forgive, but he showed the old man he was giving him another chance, as Naruto didn't have it in him to shove away the first person to ever care for him.

And yes, thanks to the Rinnegan Naruto has the potential to use any elemental-combination/fusion. But that doesn't mean he can just copy them, he has to practice. He could copy Tenzo's move because he had already gained a feeling for Mokuton from both the Shodaime's memories and a little bit of experimentation when nobody else was looking.

And when I wrote the stuff about Naruto looking like a hideous monster, I was speaking from his perspective. He thinks he is, that doesn't mean he really is. Sure, he has unusual hair and skin-tone, and he'll be wearing an eye-patch, but it's not like the shinobi-world hasn't seen stranger. Kisame is blue, I'm sure at least one of his parents was blue, and they still got children! Much stranger things have happened and have been accepted. I repeat: Naruto thinks himself to be much uglier than really the case. And transformations or illusions won't work to cover Naruto, as Samehada's part inside of him actually permanently feeds on surrounding chakra, rendering all efforts to hide his skin for extended periods of time futile.

As for cliffhangers, I used to hate them, but now that I'm writing, I understand that they are the easiest and most fun way to end a chapter. As they say, a good story-teller always leaves them wanting more.

Oh yeah, and Arynia has started her own story using dracohalo117's, not my, story-idea and already put up two chapters, which are very different from mine. Read it, it's good. I liked it.

Now onto the reviews.

To c im a dragon: Sure, and when was Naruto ever normal?

To Shiffer: First of all, I never said that every kind of animal on the planet has a harem, I just said that the basic idea is there. Take lions. One male that is laying around, waiting for his pack of females to bring him something they hunted so that he can eat the best parts. All he has to do is to defend his girls from anyone who wants to take his place. Most pack-animals don't have the one-male-and-one-female thing, and even if they do, the alpha-male usually won't stick to it, laying every female he can when mating-season approaches, of course, the alpha-female, should there be one, may then try to kill the girl who took a round with her man, but that's beside the point. So yes, a male doing different females is nothing unusual in the animal-kingdom.

To crazymexican: He'll go to the academy when they read the teams, but not before.

To Tenraku-Ichi: He'll be himself, but he'll be with his mother, who is willing to rectally remove anyone's guts who dares to even look at her beloved child the wrong way.

To Born in Fire: As I wrote above, reading minds really helps in getting to know someone, and he hasn't met Kakashi yet, but he won't be quite as forgiving with him as he was with his mother.

To Liger01: No. Naruto and Kushina's relationship will be that of a mother and child, nothing more, nothing less.

To hordac85: He won't be using his clones that much, as he really has no need to, and the Rinngan would connect them, something Naruto has to get used to first, and _Kage Bunshin_ would still dispel if hit hard enough, as damage has little to do with these clones' durability. In my opinion, they were made to be destroyed, in order to give information to the user. And two things. First, the knowledge-absorption comes from Nagato, not Sasori, and second, _Kage Bunshin_ would be able to absorb knowledge and thanks to the power of the Rinnegan, they would automatically send all information they have to the original, so no, they don't have to dispel to pass information.

To deltabeta26: Naruto will be able to use his abilities both separately and in conjunction with each other, although I myself have not yet worked out all possible combinations and their effects. But Naruto will be able to use the abilities of the Sharingan and the Rinnegan separately, as I haven't really come up with a hybrid-effect for that eye yet, not counting... no, you'll see. Anyways, should I decide to give Naruto the ability to split himself, it won't be into two personalities, but instead more like the Rinnegan-bodies, separate yet one. So his powers can work together, but they can also be used independently from each other.

To OnGuard: First of all, nobody forces you to read this, if my style of writing bothers you so much, you can make it all go away. All you have to do is move your mouse to the top right corner of your screen. You'll see a red or in rare cases gray box with an X in it. Point your mouse at the X and press it. And regarding Orochimaru, consider this. Orochimaru can perfectly walk around in a body he acquired only minutes earlier, ignoring the fact that his legs are not the length he remembers, the arms are different, Orochimaru's entire muscle-memory is gone. And Orochimaru himself stated that the original owners of the body become a part of him. When he took his third body, he said "Your determination will become a part of my subconsciousness.", and when Sasuke was dragged into Orochimaru's mental world, the souls of the bodies he had taken over before were there. Do you really think Orochimaru kept them as a souvenir? Maybe it wasn't stated that he takes all knowledge, but it was strongly indicated that something of his hosts merges with his subconsciousness, and I expanded that so that he gets the knowledge consciously. Since I'm the author, I can do that, and besides, less likely things have been written before.

To slicerness: Don't worry about the pun, I thought it was funny. And thanks for the compliment.

To Garts: Ouch. That was harsh. Still, thanks for your input, I'll try to work on myself, as I'm just a nineteen-year old writing for fun, I realize that my works are not as good as they could be, but cut an amateur some slack here, I'm glad that little old German me is able to get the grammar right most of the times. Still, I'm grateful for your input, and regarding Naruto's power, he is not invincible, just very powerful. Ee for example would effortlessly punch holes into him while dodging anything Naruto can currently dish out with his super-reflexes. Regarding your question, Naruto did train with the threads, but it was only briefly mentioned, so it was easy to overlook. And Naruto can use the threads, but he refuses to do the 'heart-surgery' on living people. And don't worry, I'm not mad. As I wrote before, I can easily take constructive criticism, as the people who write that are generally the ones who care most for the story and I like that. I'm angry at OnGuard since there was nothing constructive in his reviews, but I'm grateful that you show enough care for my story to spend time writing a long review, I love those. Anyways, I'm not mad, and thanks for your input.

To Goliith: He'll use it, but not often, and not like Alex Mercer. He won't absorb random people, and he won't turn his limbs into metal weapons.

That would be all for now, so

Please Review


	7. The first Travel

Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

* * *

Naruto's head poked out of the wall, and after ensuring that he wouldn't fall a mile if he completely left it, he slipped out of the wall and dropped the five feet to the floor, before looking around. The first thing he noticed was that it was dark. And not closed-curtain-dark or night-dark, but absolutely pitch-black-dark. The only light came from a slit close to the floor, and while sliding-doors were more common, Naruto had seen solid doors that swung inwards or outwards before, so he realized that this was one of those doors.

He contemplated whether or not to open the door or just sink back into the floor, seeing that he was obviously in someone's home, when the door slammed open and a man rushed in and pressed him against the wall while holding a blade to his throat. "Who are you? How did you get in here?" The man hissed. The man had an eye-patch on his right eye, just like Naruto. However, the front of Naruto's hair didn't resemble a onion.

Naruto was caught completely off-guard, something that rarely happened these days. What was going on? Maybe he landed somewhere he was not supposed to go. He was about to apologize, when he looked through the door. The wall he saw was made of rock, and the only light came from torches. He involuntarily began to shiver and breathe faster as memories of a similar environment assaulted his mind. He felt his scales rise and forced them back before the man could notice them, as he didn't want to be called a monster the first minute in... wherever the hell this place was.

"Ao, let the boy down." A new voice rang out. Naruto peeked over Ao's shoulder... and once more felt the need to cover his face. It was a stunningly beautiful girl in her late teens to early twenties with long auburn hair that covered one of her emerald eyes, ironically also the right one. She wore a standard shinobi-uniform, although it wasn't black and green but instead in different shades of gray. Her bust was big, not overly large, but still clearly noticeable. The only oddity was that her sleeves and pants' legs were short, revealing more skin. Naruto again blushed and felt like a freak-show that had accidentally stumbled into a Miss-Universe-contest.

Ao made no move to let him down, instead giving him a suspicious look. "Terumii-sama, he entered your private chambers without your permission, without being seen by the guard and without triggering any security while entering. If he hadn't made a sound, we wouldn't even know he exists. He is clearly an assassin sent by the Mizukage or that damnable Kikikyoujin to kill you!"

The woman closed the door, turned on a few lights, activated a seal and slumped together on a chair. Suddenly she looked incredibly tired. "Why should they waste their time like that? They already have us beaten. Have you taken a look outside? They're almost here, and we can neither outrun them nor fight them off. There's little point in killing me now, I'll be dead in a few hours anyway. And Kikikyoujin won't have me assassinated, he already stated he wants my head as a decoration, remember?"

Ao bit his lip and slowly reduced the pressure on Naruto's chest, withdrawing the blade from his throat, but still keeping it in his hand, waiting for Naruto to make a single suspicious movement.

Naruto meanwhile glanced at the woman, keeping his face in the shadows. "I know this sounds stupid, but could you tell me where I am?"

Ao glared at him. "Are you trying to tell us you have no idea where you are after sneaking through all the security? Do we really look that stupid to you?"

Naruto shrugged. "The lady no, you I'm not quite sure yet. And I never sneaked past your security, I sorta bypassed it. Kinda hard to explain, but I don't even know what country I'm in."

Ao seemed ready to attack him again, but the woman tiredly waved him off. "It hardly matters now if the boy is lying or not, we'll all be dead soon anyways. You are in Mizu no Kuni, boy. To be precise, you are in the last fort of the pro-bloodline faction, which is about to be overrun by the Mizukage's army of bloodline-haters."

Naruto nodded, confused. Ao meanwhile seemed shocked. "Terumii-sama! You shouldn't speak with such defeatism in your voice! If the troops hear you, what little courage they still have will crumble!"

Terumii looked at him. "That's why I activated the silencing-seals. Nobody outside can hear us, even if they're pressing a stethoscope to the door or walls. The only ones that can hear me are you, who understands the hopelessness of the situation as well as I do, and the boy, who nobody is going to believe if we deny it anyways."

Naruto hesitantly raised a hand. "Sorry for butting in, but I thought the Bloodline Purges ended when the Yondaime Mizukage took office?"

Terumii nodded, her eyes wandering into the distance. "Your information is correct, but outdated. The fighting did indeed end when the Yondaime took office. Both sides had grown tired of the fighting, and welcomed the peace, we bloodline-users gave the Yondaime a guard composed of the best our clans had to offer for protection. At first everything was looking up, and we had hopes to return our country to its former glory." Her voice became bitter. "Then everything went wrong. One night there was a commotion in Kiri. When things had quieted down, the Kiri-shinobi found a heavily injured Mizukage, his dead guards, and signs of a fierce battle. The Mizukage claimed that the guards had suddenly turned and attacked him, and he had barely managed to come out on top of the fight. That reignited the hate on bloodline-users and the fighting started again, only this time, it was worse. People that had been neutral or even supportive in the last struggle now turned on us, thinking we had been deceiving them while aiming for the absolute rule of the Kekkei Genkai. Ao here is one of the few that was born without a Kekkei Genkai that still stands on our side."

Naruto blinked. That was a lot to take in. "I don't mean any insult, but how can you be sure that Mizukage wasn't attacked by those you sent to guard him?"

Terumii gave him a cold look, before her eyes softened slightly. "Ah yes, you don't know." Naruto couldn't tell if she was being sarcastic. "One of the guards was my older brother, and I can guarantee you that should there have been a struggle, he would have protected the Mizukage with his life. He would have gut himself before turning on the man who brought peace, yet the Mizukage claims that every single one attacked him."

Naruto bowed his head. "I'm sorry."

Terumii waved him off. "Doesn't matter now."

Naruto shivered at the sound of her voice and the dead look in her eyes. "Why do you look so sad?" He asked.

She looked at him disbelievingly, but then apparently decided that it didn't matter. "This fort is the last line of defense. When it falls, the war is over, and all remaining bloodline-users will be hunted down like rats. This is our final stand, and an army with the goal to destroy us is marching towards us as we speak. They'll be here in maybe twenty minutes, and then we all die. Our odds were never good, but with the second purge, many were caught off-guard and slaughtered. Make no mistake, our forces can and have tackled armies three times their numbers and came out of it on top, but in this war, we're outnumbered ten to one, and the bulk of that is at our gates. We have maybe a thousand soldiers altogether, six hundred in this fort, of which two-hundred are too wounded to fight. We have 400 men here and 7000 are marching towards us. Once those 400 are dead, the women and children in the lower floors will be next. They won't leave a single one alive, after they had their fun with them, of course." With that, she became quiet, and even Ao seemed unable to say anything. Naruto saw tears run down her face.

He looked at her. "Mind if I have a look around?"

She waved her hand. "Be my guest."

Naruto nodded and turned to the door, Ao following him.

* * *

Naruto looked around, and his heart ached. All around him women and children huddled together, in light so weak it could hardly illuminate anything, but the fear, the crying and the despair were still hitting Naruto like a wave, reminding him of days in a dimly-lit room with bars, the wails of fellow prisoners the only lullaby, day and night becoming impossible to tell apart.

Ao noticed how uncomfortable he was. "What's wrong? Guilty conscience for helping the wrong side?"

Naruto sent him a glare. "I don't work for the Mizukage, I already told you that." He looked at a child, crying at his mother's chest, while the mother, despite her own hopelessness, tried to encourage the child. "Children should be laughing. They should be playing, they should be running, they should simply be children. They should not fear for their life, they should not have to hide and cover in light-less holes like worms because they can't survive otherwise."

Ao raised a brow. "A philosopher? Who would have thought?"

Naruto didn't react to the taunt. "I merely find such places depressing. I don't like it when I can't see the sky."

Ao snorted and pointed towards a staircase. "Help yourself. It leads up to a watch-tower. Nobody's up there because we decided that we'd fight our enemies in these hallway where they can't simply overrun us with their numbers."

Naruto nodded and climbed up the stairs, Ao still tailing him.

The sight was impressive, and for the first time Naruto understood why Terumii had been so down. The army was in a square-formation, tightly packed together to take less space, with the side-effect that they didn't look like people marching but more like a giant carpet crawling towards them. Even though it was covered, Naruto's Rinnegan saw their chakra, and it illuminated the sky. The shinobi formed the first lines, while those untrained were stationed further behind. With their sheer numbers they left a deep trench in the soft earth they marched through.

The fort Naruto was in was more like a half-orb dug into the dirt, with a few towers poking out of different locations to give better view.

Ao looked at him, and most of his coldness melted away after he made sure it wasn't merely paint. "Oh. Sorry, I never noticed in the dim lighting. I apologize for my earlier rudeness, there is no way the bloodline-haters would hire someone with your looks, they hate odd things too much."

Naruto nodded absentmindedly, his attention focused on a buzzing in his head that had suddenly come when he looked at the army. He wasn't sure, but he thought he had heard words in the buzzing. He focused.

_**"...em"**_

It was so quiet Naruto could hardly understand it, like a very light breeze.

_**"...ill them"**_

It wasn't getting louder, but the words became clearer as the buzzing toned down.

_**"kill them"**_

Naruto's eye widened. The words hadn't been spoken, they just resonated in his head, but Naruto was certain he hadn't misheard them. 'Kyuubi, not funny.' He noted.

"_**What are you talking about?"**_

'You know what I'm talking about, the buzzing and the little voice.' Naruto answered.

"_**Did you eat something you weren't supposed to?"**_ Kyuubi asked _**"There is no buzzing and there definitely aren't any voices. I should know, I'm in your head. I would even notice if you get schizophrenia, and you're not. There are no voices."**_

**_"kill them"_**

'Then what's that?' Naruto asked.

"_**That would be you making fun of me, there's nothing."**_ Kyuubi seemed annoyed, before asking _**"What are the voices saying?"**_

'Kill them.' Naruto replied.

Kyubbi chuckled. _**"At least they give good advice. When dealing with human-problems, killing them is never wrong."**_

'When I want your opinion, I'll ask for it.' Naruto mentally hissed.

"_**Careful with your words, boy. My intolerance to disrespect has not changed."**_ Kyuubi's voice was cold and sharp, before regaining its mirth. _**"Then again, it's not easy giving proper respect to someone you can't see. Maybe we should talk face to face? Now where is my clothing? Ah, who needs it. Anyways, how about it?"**_

Naruto gained a deep blush, much to Ao's confusion. 'No thanks, maybe next time.' Kyuubi's laughter rang in his ears.

_**"Kill them" **_Now the voice was louder, and easier to understand. Naruto had not misheard the message

'And you're telling me you really can't hear that?'

"_**I'm not getting anything. Maybe you should listen to the advice to make it go away"**_ came the answer. _**"Who is it telling you to kill? The army or the people in the fort? It'd be a shame to waste that girl, I could name twenty better things to do with her than killing off the top of my head."**_

'No details, please. And it started when I looked at the army, so I guess them.'

Naruto heard clapping. _**"Oh good, crushing armies is so much more fun. Go get them!"**_

**_"Kill them."_**

Naruto sighed. 'Looks like I'm outvoted here. Good thing this isn't a democracy, huh?'

**_"Kill them!"_** Now the voice was getting louder and started to hurt.

'Okay, now it starts to hurt.'

**_"KILL THEM!"_**

Naruto grabbed his head in pain. 'Okay okay, I give. Give me a second.' Then he noticed something. "Isn't there a guy on horse in front of the army?"

Ao gave him a look. "Yes, that's Kikikyoujin. He's the general leading this army, and one of the worst people they have. He doesn't really care about sides or why we fight, all he wants is slaughter. You may notice that the enemies in the front are carrying long poles with orbs on them. Those are heads." His voice was filled with disgust as Naruto stared in shock. There had to be hundreds of poles! And if there was a head on each one... "For that man nothing is sacred. He defiles our comrades, even after death. That bastard decorates his horse with heads, but only of those he killed himself. Women, children, the elderly, even infants. Nothing is safe from that scum, and the Mizukage backs everything."

Naruto felt anger rise in him. How dare he? Infants? If there was one thing Naruto couldn't forgive, it was the abuse of those who couldn't defend themselves, experiencing too much of that his entire life.

**_"KILL THEM!"_**

This time Naruto didn't feel pain. 'I hear ya.' He looked at Ao. "And this is how I landed here."

With that, he sank into the ground, shocking Ao.

* * *

Kikikyoujin was giddy. Soon he'd be in glorious slaughter again. He just loved it. The adrenaline-surges when fighting, that gleam in the enemies' eyes when they desperately defend whatever they cherished, and that final moment of dread when they died, realizing that their precious was lost. He loved the sound of a blade slicing flesh, the wails of the wounded and dying were music to his ears. The sound of snapping bones and the feeling of hot blood on his hands, feeling it run down his face, the smell when you gutted them, it was ecstasy to him. Nothing could compare, although taking girls by force and releasing while you slit their throats was a close second. Still, for Kikikyoujin, slaughter was what he truly craved, and all he really needed. That was also why he fought as many as he could, and killed anyone who dared interrupt his fight with an enemy, unless he was another enemy. The more of those, the merrier.

When a figure suddenly appeared out of the ground, he raised a hand and horns rang, signaling that the army should halt. He rode forwards, looking at this strange creature, wondering if it bled red.

It looked like a human, two arms, two legs, a head, and hair that was pulled back into a pony-tail. But there were odd things. The most obvious was the skin, that was pale on the left side and tanned on the right one. Kikikyoujin decided he'd cut along that line, and see if he managed to cut it into a tanned half and a pale half. The hair had odd shifts in colors, but all that he cared about was that it was long enough to use to tie the head to his horse. What put him slightly on edge was the eye-patch. He had fought Ao before, and carried a nasty scar from when he had assumed the man's right side was his blind-spot and tried to attack him from there without knowing he had a Byakugan. "Who are you?" He asked.

The boy, because now that he looked up he didn't look a day older than twelve, gave him a disgusted look. "You don't need to know."

Naruto looked at the man before him, and his skin crawled. The man was wearing a necklace made from cut-off fingers on his bare chest that was colored in blood, if the stench was any indication. His hair was a mixture of brown and black, also coming from dried blood. Didn't this guy even wash? Still, the most disgusting part was his horse. Pitch-black, and indeed decorated with countless heads. Those heads with long hair, belonging mainly to women, had been tied to ropes going around the horse by that hair, those with shorter hair were brutally hung by vicious hooks. One of the hooks was stabbed through a baby's eye, making his blood boil.

The man grinned. "Ah, admiring my collection?"

Naruto sneered. "You are sick. Those are humans!"

Laughter boomed from the army's throats. One man in the first row, fifteen feet away from the leader. "Humans? Don't make me laugh. Those are monsters! War-seekers who won't stop until either us or them are dead!"

Naruto gave the man the same look he would give a cockroach approaching his ramen. "I'd say that you are fitting that description very well. If those are monsters, then you must be scum, with a sick psychopath leading you."

Said psychopath snorted. "Well, at least we have strength. You on the other hand are a pathetic worm, you proved that by crawling out of the dirt."

Naruto's eye narrowed. "Careful there bloodfreak, there's more to me than meets the eye."

The man laughed. "Yes, and it's even more pathetic than a maggot. It's worthless junk that a housefly could squash!" With that, he spat Naruto in the face. Laughter roared from the troops, not knowing that their leader had just stepped on a landmine.

"_**That insect, how dare he! That miserable maggot dares insult ME?!"**_ Kyuubi roared in rage. _**"That hairless monkey has the nerve to give such in insult to ME, and calls the one who is honored to house me WEAK?! I lend you my youki, crush him and his army, stamp them into the dirt, GRIND THEM TO POWDER!!!"**_

**_"Kill them, leave the man for later."_**

The mysterious voice was back, even though it wasn't screaming this time, the fact that it said something else made Naruto hesitant to disobey. He somehow felt that disobedience would have a detrimental effect on his health. He removed the eye-patch and let all of Kyuubi's youki flood into that eye. His right eye suddenly moved up to focus on a point just above the center of the army, and Naruto knew from Hanzo's memories what that rippled eye could do.

He spoke "_Shinra Tensei_"

…

And the earth trembled.

* * *

Mei had just been informed by Ao that the strange boy had sunken into the ground and vanished without a trace, to which she dryly replied that that might explain how he landed in her room without triggering any alarms, but didn't really care. She was walking around making sure that all hallways leading to the lowest levels where the women and children were had been properly secured, when the earth suddenly shook, nearly knocking her off her feet and slamming her into the wall.

"What the hell was that?" Ao asked when the trembling ceased and he managed to pick himself off the floor.

"I don't know." Mei replied. "We don't normally get any earthquakes here, the ground's too soft."

"Maybe it's a new Doton they developed against us." Ao suggested.

Mei shook her head. "Possible, but not likely. First, they don't have any Doton-masters of such a degree, and more importantly, Kikikyoujin loves slaughter too much to let us die peacefully in an earthquake." She looked towards the direction where the nearest staircase was. "I'm going up to take a look." With that, she sprinted, Ao right behind her.

* * *

Kikikyoujin's horse had almost fallen when a sudden gust of wind picked up behind him. He laughed. "So you have a jutsu that allows you to call a draft? Wow, I might hire you for a windmill." When the expected laughter behind him failed to appear, he turned around... and his jaw dropped.

The army was gone. Not a single man remained standing, or identifiable for that matter. In their stead was a giant crater. If he dropped from the edge, he would have easily fallen thirty feet before hitting the ground, and that was at the edge, the most shallow part. The crater was perfectly round in shape, and the ground was covered in a reddish goo with the odd object sticking out, such as a broken pole, a bent weapon or a piece of bone. That was all that was left of a army counting in thousands. He couldn't help but shiver as he turned back to the boy, who was panting.

"You did that?"

Instead of answering, Naruto, who was still breathing harder from the strain of what he had just done, raised his arm and made a motion as if flicking something off a table while muttering "_Teshi Sendan_"

The lone bone-projectile hit the horse between the eyes, pierced the brain and killed it instantly. Kikikyoujin managed to jump off just in time to avoid being buried beneath the fallen steed. "Now that wasn't nice. What did my poor horse ever do to you?" He asked, fighting down giddy chuckles.

Naruto shrugged. "I didn't like its decorations."

The man shrugged. "Doesn't matter. More importantly, you made that crater. It was your eye, I saw how you took off the patch just before you did _this_." He started to cackle in mad glee "Such destructive power. I want it! GIVE IT TO ME!" With that, he lunged at Naruto, who sidestepped, only to get a kick in the gut.

Naruto was considering different ways to kill the bastard, when the voice rang out again.

**_"Offer him as a sacrifice."_**

'How?' Naruto asked. And to his surprise, he received an answer.

_**"Drink his blood."**_

Naruto's eye widened in understanding. He jumped over a sweeping kick and took a punch to the face, knowing he'd won at that point.

Kikikyoujin hissed as he looked at his fist. The glove was shredded, and flesh had been stripped from his last two fingers and knuckles, almost to the bone. On the boy's face, there was a bloody smear. "What the fuck?"

Naruto grinned as he licked the blood from his cheek. "I have rough skin. And now you lose." His feet moved on their own, drawing the triangle inside of the circle on the floor as his skin changed.

Kikikyoujin tilted his head. This newest skin-change confused him, but he paid it little mind. Apparently the boy had a Kekkai Genkai that allowed him to alter his skin, making it rougher or smoother, and changing its color. He had heard of the Kaguya who had something similar only with bones, so it was entirely possible. Still, that brat's skin was worse than sandpaper, so direct contact was something he'd better avoid. He could use a jutsu, but he hated those things. They stole his kills. Well, there was one he liked. It had been invented in Taki, but who cared about the details. "_Mizu no Yaiba_"

Naruto looked unconcerned as not one, but two blades of water formed out of the moisture and and the mist that gave the local shinobi's village its name. He noticed that the man seemed to have good control of his chakra, as the blades looked very different from each other. The one in his right hand was sleek with a sharp edge for cutting, while the other one was more round, with sharp spikes pointing in random directions.

Kikikyoujin raised that weapon and hurled it at the boy like a spear, cackling as it pierced right through the heart, although it missed the spine.

Naruto calmly looked at the object protruding out of his chest while noting that his scales had not risen up to deflect the blow and suck the chakra out of the water in the blade. Apparently his automatic defense deactivated himself when he did this. Now that he thought about it, it made perfect sense, as taking damage was kinda the whole point of doing this whole ceremony or whatever it was.

Kikikyoujin's grin had frozen when he felt warm blood soak his torso and looked down on himself to see a large hole in his chest.

Naruto gave him a cold look. "You know, I am grateful to you. Thanks to you, I finally understood. I am a human, and no matter how monstrous my appearance becomes, I will be a human. You are a monster that simply looks like a human, so am I not a human that looks like a monster?"

Kikikyoujin knew that he was finished, but with his last strength, he charged the boy and decapitated him with a single swipe. As he felt his head separate from his shoulders, he shouted as loud as he could, which was barely above a whisper "A glorious death!" Then his vision faded to black.

Threads shot out of Naruto's neck, grabbed the head and pulled it back to where it belonged, the paper again removing all evidence that he'd ever been injured, save for the two large holes in the front and the back of his shirt. Fortunately, it had been an old shirt that he had put on just in case it got ripped, so no loss there.

Kyuubi seemed shocked. _**"That circle... Hang on, I'm just going to check something."**_

* * *

Kyuubi looked at Naruto's DNA. Back then, she had stopped checking it out after the second injection after the mutation-shot that allowed her to merge the different abilities in harmony. Now she gave a critical eye to all her adjustments, until she spotted what she had feared.

_**'Aw, crap. I knew I should have looked at what I placed in the brat's DNA. This is going to be a pain, especially since I can't remove it anymore. Well, now I know what the voice Naruto was hearing was. If a being of higher power communicates with my host and doesn't want me to hear it, then I won't hear it. Great, this situation is going to be a bitch!'**_ she cursed, not wanting to tell Naruto about this little problem just yet.

* * *

Naruto stared at the severed head at his feat. He hesitated for a moment, but then grabbed the man's head, focusing his power to not absorb the entire knowledge of the man but merely the parts pertaining to layouts, attack-plans and jutsu. And some data about the Mizukage. He was surprised to learn that the leader of Kiri was the jinchuuriki of the Sanbi. Still, something seemed off about the man, but Naruto couldn't put his finger on it. Not surprising, since all the data he had on the man came from the mind of a lunatic who cared for nothing that wasn't bleeding or about to.

The circle, now no longer needed, had been absorbed by the soggy ground, its lines blurred beyond recognition.

Naruto looked at the head, before he got an evil idea. He started a jutsu he had learned from Hanzo, and as his left index-and middle-fingers glowed with chakra, he gently put it on the open eyes of Kikikyoujin's head. "_Houshimetsu no Jutsu_"

There was a short flash, and Naruto knew that nobody would be able to get any information out of that head except for the next picture it would see. Naruto pointed it to the corpse-filled crater and waited a few seconds. When he looked into the head's eyes, he could clearly see the crater reflected in them even if it was no longer facing it. The brain and the retinas were destroyed, that image was all anybody would ever get from the man's head. Not even Naruto himself would be able to draw information out of this head, as there simply was no information left, everything was destroyed. Then he opened his right hand, the left one still holding the corpse, and muttered "_Banshou Ten'in_"

A few of the banners the army had carried, now soaked in a mixture of blood, brain, intestines and other undefinable things flew into his hand. Just as he was about to leave Ao and the pretty girl appeared before him. Both stared at the crater and the headless corpse, then at Naruto.

"How...?" Terumii muttered.

Naruto smiled at her, still hesitant to show his face. "What's your name?" He asked.

The girl seemed completely out of it. "Me?"

Naruto nodded. "Yes, you."

"Mei Terumii." Mei said.

Naruto gave her a shy smile. "Well then Mei-chan, you said you beat armies three times your size. With them outnumbering you ten to one, you having 1000 men and 7000 enemies now perished, you can show if you were bragging or speaking the truth. Goodbye, maybe we'll meet again." With that, he sank into the ground. Coincidentally, Naruto's _Shinra Tensei_ had forced a hole into the clouds, and due to the position of the sun, Naruto happened to be standing in the sole spot of sunlight for miles, and as soon as he had vanished, the circle of light narrowed together until it was gone.

* * *

Mei looked at the spot, then at the crater. She couldn't believe what had just happened. More and more of her fellow rebels flowed out of the fort, to stare in disbelief at the crater.

Ao gulped. "I don't believe it. 7000 men, simply squashed like ants."

Mei chuckled, in shock, yet strangely giddy. "At least now we know why the earth shook. Just imagine the force necessary to do this. How heavy would something have to be to make such a crater?"

Ao shrugged, his mind only slowly starting to work again. "Thousands of tons. No, millions! This is impossible, nobody could do something like that!"

Another man stared at the crater. "It's perfectly round, and compared to the diameter of the crater, the depth is shallow. When I was a kid my family had one of those rounded hammers, like the ones judges use. I hammered soft ground with it before, and those craters looked similar, only much smaller. This... it's like kami slammed his hammer down on our enemies."

Silent nods came from those who heard, it was incomprehensible for one person to do this, especially instantly.

Mei shuddered, before bursting into giddy laughter. Something had happened she never would have thought possible. A realization that something that hadn't been possible since the early days of the first purges was here.

They had a chance to win.

* * *

Naruto appeared on the outer wall surrounding Kiri, not leaning more than his torso out of it to be able to make an immediate retreat. He was close to the ground, which suited his needs perfectly. With the stunt he had just pulled, it was kind of pointless to play neutral now, so Naruto decided to play a dark prank on Kiri. Hanzo's memories had shown that psychological warfare won more wars than numbers, and how to hit where it hurt. Naruto spread the bloodied banners on the wall, the mixture of fluids gluing them in place, and used the head as a brush to leave a message before he placed it on the ground before his work. He took one last look at his work.

Just above the banners there was a pretty scary message, painted in blood.

**I RETURN TO YOU ALL THAT IS LEFT OF YOUR ARMY**

Then he sank into the wall, and towards his beloved ramen. After all, it was time for lunch.

* * *

In the realm of deities, Jashin was leaning back, very happy with the newest turn of events. Somehow there had been a second one with the power of his avatar. A short look over this new host's statistics had made Jashin decide not to instantaneously pulverize him, and so far, he wasn't regretting his decision. He had gained the soul of General Kikikyoujin, someone he had wanted for a long time, his soul was on his list of most desired souls, and pretty high up there too. He grinned, wondering what awards and duties he'd bestow on the boy's soul once he died, as the souls of Jashinists were his by default.

Suddenly a black fire grew from the floor, and a figure rose out of it. Jashin raised a brow. _**"Yama. I had not expected a visit, what brings you to my realm?"**_

The judge of the underworld looked at him. _**"I thought I'd warn you."**_

Jashin looked at him. _**"About what?"**_

Yama gave him a serious look. _**"The soul of Naruto Uzumaki-Namikaze."**_

Jashin shrugged. _**"What of it? The boy is alive, his soul is of no concern to you, and after death he will be mine."**_

Yama sighed. _**"And there lies the problem."**_

Jashin's eyes narrowed. _**"What do you mean?"**_

Yama gave him a tired look. _**"The ownership of that soul will soon be the most vicious debate in **__**the realm of the gods."**_

Jashin glared at him. _**"The boy is mine, he is a Jashinist, and holds the power of my avatar."**_

Yama shook his head. _**"You are correct, and these things would normally grant you his soul, however..."**_

Jashin's eyes were slits. _**"However what?"**_

Yama gave a serious look. _**"He has never participated in your religion, he has never sworn his allegiance to you, and the ceremonies were done without knowledge of what they entail."**_

Jashin waved him off. _**"Details, details. He still has my marks, so he is mine."**_

Yama nodded. _**"That is true, he bears your marks. The problem is, he also bears the marks of others."**_

Jashin's eyes widened. _**"Explain."**_

Yama shrugged. _**"As you know, the boy's powers are numerous, and the number of deities who have laid claim to his soul is almost as numerous."**_

Jashin growled. _**"Who dares challenge my claim?"**_

A new voice rang out. _**"I, for one."**_

Jashin looked at the newcomer. _**"Susanoo? What claim do you have on my avatar?"**_

Susanoo gave him a dark look. _**"Ironically, the same one you do. He has the gift I granted mankind, the Sharingan. And with the youki of the Kyuubi sealed inside of him, he has awakened its true power, including the creation of an avatar for me. You know that this grants me his soul, just like the souls of Itachi Uchiha and Madara Uchiha will be mine once released."**_

Yama sighed. _**"Even I could lay claim to the boy's soul, as he possesses the Rinnegan and knows that he can call upon me for aid, although he does not know the full potential of this yet. The knowledge was gained through the gift I imparted the Rinnegan, taken from the head of a departed who had witnessed its power. Also, I have granted you some of the souls killed by the boy, even though they fell by my power, not yours."**_

Jashin gave a respectful nod, knowing that Yama had little use for souls and that being the judge of the dead, not even Jashin could afford to make enemies with him as all souls pass by him and while he cannot stop those who by ancient law belong to Jashin, Yama has the power to stall them for millennia. Then he turned to Susanoo. _**"Your claim is shaky."**_

Susanoo snorted. _**"Not shakier than your own."**_

Jashin sighed. _**"Anyone else who lays claim on what is rightfully mine?"**_

Yama looked at him. _**"There are others who lay claim on the boy's soul. The Shinigami believes that the boy is his, as he has marked the boy first."**_

**_"Don't forget about me."_** A new voice, this one clearly female, called out.

Yama glanced at her. _**"How could I? The Lady states that he has had her eye on the boy long before he was born. "**_

Jashin snorted. _**"A lot of good that did him."**_

The Lady growled. _**"You know full well that Kami has limited my power in the mortal world. His capture and operations were beyond me to stop, any other path would have resulted in the boy's death. Had Kabuto not found him, he would have died, and nobody else who would have helped him was close enough for me to lead their steps in time to save him, as I am not allowed to alter reality. What Kabuto did was beyond my control, all I could do was grant them the right idea to save his life before their experiments decomposed him. Also, I kept all guards away when he escaped, and made sure nobody caught him when he experimented with is powers. I am the one who did most for him, which gives me equal claim on him as anyone else."**_

Yama sighed deeply. **_"If this goes on, Kami herself will intervene to end this dispute, and it is possible that she will claim the boy's soul, as is her right."_**

The Lady grimaced. _**"Now that wouldn't be nice. Can't we solve this with janken (rock-paper-scissors), or coin-flips, or dice?"**_

Susanoo snorted humorlessly. _**"If you want to gamble, go play with the twins."**_

The Lady frowned. _**"Fate and Destiny? Why would I want to play with them?"**_

Jashin rolled his eyes. _**"Because, Lady Luck, aside from Kami they are the only ones who have a chance to beat you in a game invoplving chance. And now I would appreciate if you all returned to your own realms."**_

Yama nodded and vanished, while Susanoo and Luck exchanged looks. _**"This isn't over, you know that, right?"**_ They spoke in unison.

A vein throbbed on Jashin's forehead. _**"Out."**_

The deities obeyed. After all, in one's own realm, only Kami herself has the right to stay when asked to leave.

* * *

Naruto, blissfully unaware of the turmoil his existence caused in the highest realms, was gulping down ramen with his mother at an inhumanly pace. They had just finished their last bowls and had started a mock-duel with chopsticks, which his mother was winning, when a knocking alerted them to a new presence.

Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Sandaime Hokage, was standing at the door. "I apologize for interrupting, however, the council of Konoha wishes to speak with Naruto. I've kept them out as long as I could, but it is unavoidable now. Kushina, you have my permission to accompany him."

Kushina nodded, grabbed her trusted sword and stepped out of the house with her son, a determined look on her face. The council wouldn't know what hit it.

* * *

Chapter 7 is done.

I'm not dead! But I had my Abitur, not sure how to explain it in English, but they're really important exams, and I had to prepare. I'm still not out of the woods, but I have a little time before I have to get back to memorizing facts and data. Also, a few ideas didn't leave me alone, so I wrote them down. I'm swamped! Four stories to update, four stories to which I have the first chapters on my computer, and four more in orbit! What is it with the fours haunting me? Still, I'm not sure whether to post them yet, as that would make the time it takes me to update even longer. Anyways, enough of my little non-topic ranting, and enjoy the double-update.

Well, how did you like it? I sent Naruto to Kiri for two reasons. One, because I like Mei, and two... well, maybe I'll tell you later. All I'll say now is that it has plot-importance. For those that didn't get their wish granted, there is still plenty of time for other journeys, and I have a few more planned.

And thanks to the focus of both doujutsu, Naruto can now put the starting-point wherever he wants to, as long as he can see it, as if he was activating a _Kamui_, instead of merely where he is. Of course, that means he could damage himself if he isn't careful.

And yes, the voice commanding Naruto was Jashin.

_Houshimetsu no Jutsu_ (Information Destruction Technique)  
Rank: B  
Range: Short (0m)  
Type: Support  
This jutsu was designed by Salamander Hanzo to prevent information gathering from residue-information of corpses. It works by touching both eyes with chakra-charged fingers, destroying brain and eyes once used, rendering all attempts to salvage information useless. As a side-effect of the internal eye-destruction, the eyes will react like photo paper and record the first picture they see after the chakra-flow has stopped.

For the next chapter, I have a council meeting shot to hell, and the revelation of a weakness Naruto has yet to completely overcome.

Well, it's 5 AM, and I really don't feel like explaining myself, so I'll skip to the replies.

To Darkwill0w: He had training to get him into shape and give a certain muscle-memory for battle, as Orochimaru didn't want to work himself up from scratch. As for the ability, it belongs to the Human-path of the Rinnegan. I figured that if Inoichi could get memories out of a corpse, than so can the guy who knows how to bring them back to life. And he 'downloads' everything, but it doesn't impact him all the time. In his mindscape, there is a library, where all memories are ordered into categories, such as PERSONAL MEMORIES, STRATEGY, EXERCISES, JUTSU and my personal favorite: DO NOT OPEN UNTIL 16. And no, he doesn't get the combat-reflexes, those are physical and have to be gained the old-fashioned way.

To dracohalo117: Sorry for the wait, real life was murderous. And Naruto didn't hit Sarutobi because he was simply happy to be reunited with his mother. As for the other people, they'll get theirs next chapter.

To Anime507: That's just it. Naruto doesn't know what he can do yet, and he won't learn everything for a while. And as I indicated above, he has a weakness he doesn't want to reveal before he has overcome it.

To Sbaglio: Look at Narutopedia, I'm going with canon. And they're all still alive.

To ToothAndClaw: Yes, he has it. And to prove that, you just have to read the top-, in some cases bottom lines of most his stories. He openly admits it.

To gazz uzumaki: He could, but there would be little use. The transformation is complex and has too little use to be worth the effort, with Konan's paper-wings being easier to make and just as effective.

To AZant: He could use White-Zetsu's ability to take his old appearance, but he doesn't know that.

To kart87: First of all, I had no plans for any dragon-taijutsu, that's overdone. And IF he gets a highest tier contract, it definitely won't be dragons. And while insanely skilled, Naruto is unaware of just what he can do. Secondly, not all of Naruto's enemies will be human, and I do have a few challenges planned. Third, thanks for the compliments.

To FOUL MOUTH SOB WILL KUEHLER: 1: Naruto, no contest. One to three mid-class normal puppets against ten supreme human-puppets, plus three kage-level ones? 2: Deidara's micro-mines. 3: Probably. 4: Secret. 5: Again, secret. 6: Because the Juubi-eye is hard to miss and I want Naruto to have some semblance of normality. And it makes people less worried to see a normal eye and a patch than unknown eyes that scream I HAVE AWESOME POWERS SO BE CARFUL! 7: Probably. 8: In some ways, he'd live. 9: He'd get in, but he could break out.

To snogwomp: He has been injected with both their DNA. He basically has Juugo's mutating flesh by default, and that can turn into threads or paper, whatever is needed. And he currently has only one heart.

To Elleon: Yes, there was little planning in Orochimaru's harvest, simply because it was supposed to be the prologue to explain where the samples came from. For that purpose, I skipped the planning. And yes, the exit was kinda rushed, sue me. Sorry, lack of sleep makes me aggressive.

To evilfrog1: Not sure if I PMed you, but if I didn't you can use it. Just mention it was my idea.

To Narusaku4everfan: Yes, both powers are focused on that eye.

Thats all for now, so

Please Review


	8. Naruto's flaw

Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto  
_

The council of Konoha has existed since it's founding. It has two factions, one of civilians, mainly merchants, shop-owners and other wealthy or socially important non-shinobi, and one of Konoha's military, mainly the heads of Konoha's many shinobi-clans, although a few distinguished clan-less shinobi also had a seat.

According to the original charter, the council had the duty to advise the Hokage, supply him with information and help him gather different opinions on various topics so that he could make the best possible decisions for the village. They also had the right to suggest laws, who would then be debated. The Hokage originally did not necessarily have to participate in the debate, although it was encouraged and he generally did, but either way, the law and all arguments for and against it were given to him in writing. He could inform himself about specific arguments, before making the final verdict. That was the extent of the council's duties. Originally.

However, after the founding of the village two shinobi-wars had taken place. The Hokage suddenly was no longer merely a kind leader that wisely ruled the village. Suddenly he was the leader of their military, their strongest shinobi and the thing the entire village leaned on. However, as such it was his duty to be present and on the front-lines when threats neared the village, so he had less and less time for his peacetime-duties inside the village. The council naturally saw this problem and offered their aid to keep Konoha stable, the Hokage accepting the aid. The council worked restlessly and indeed succeeded in keeping the village running perfectly through both crisis's, earning Konoha the title of the strongest of the shinobi-villages, as even under the greatest pressures of war, the village had not once buckled, nor had there been a single uprising of any dissatisfied groups. Konoha had been the only village that had remained united since it's founding, and not once sacrificed its citizens needs.

After the war, the council felt that there was no reason that their authorities, in place long enough for them to become used to them and take them for granted, should be reduced. Had they not proven that they could handle their duties? And indeed, the Sandaime allowed them to keep most of their authority, seeing it as a reward for their excellent service. But as the saying goes, power corrupts. Where once unity and the benefit of all had stood, soon backstabbing and personal desires ruled. The Yondaime had seen the corruption, as in the later stages of the third shinobi-war, the strain had become visible and after it was over and he officially declared Hokage, he attempted to root out the corruption. He was partially successful, as amongst the shinobi, those that were too greedy had been dismissed from the council, and any council-member that had put their own advantage before the good of Konoha was executed. Things returned closer to their original standards, but sadly, at the time of Kyuubi's attack, Minato Namikaze had yet to completely purge the civilian-ranks from corruption, having focused on the potentially more dangerous shinobi first. All in all, the council was an institution balancing between personal gain and the greater good, not perfect, but generally the results it produced were halfway decent, and they were fair to everyone who was called before them. Unless some council-members had a grudge against him.

-0-

Kushina barely restrained herself from growling. Before they could even enter the waiting-area in front of the council-chambers, a shinobi had shown up and stated Naruto had to wear chakra-cuffs before he could enter. As that was a treatment that was usually reserved for shinobi who committed murder or treason, it was an insult to any upstanding shinobi. She and Sarutobi had both frowned when the man said this was the explicit wish of the civilian council-members to ensure their safety. Naruto had shrugged and let himself be cuffed, much to Kushina's ire. Then the clown had pulled a second pair of cuffs and moved towards her.

Her hand moved toward her sword.

The man ran for the hills. Kushina snorted in disgust, before turning to the doors of the chamber. She raised her left leg and in what Sarutobi secretly called 'the Kushina-way of knocking' kicked in the door. The murmurs that had been heard before instantly silenced as she strolled into the room, Naruto right behind her, shaking his head. Sarutobi entered last, chuckling to himself while he took his seat.

Sakuya Haruno frowned. "Kushina, you were not called."

Kushina glared at her. "I have the Hokage's permission to accompany my son."

Sakuya flinched, but she kept her mouth shut.

Sarutobi cleared his throat. "Now that that is settled, perhaps we can get to the reason for this gathering?"

Sakuya nodded. "Of course. It has come to our attention that Naruto Uzumaki, who has deserted this village years ago, has been captured. As proposed punishment..."

Naruto looked up. "Wait, what? I was kidnapped! Also, how could I desert the village? Civilians have the right to leave when they want, only shinobi can desert, and I was obviously not a shinobi, so no such charges can be pressed!" One of the books that Karin and Kabuto had given him to practice his reading had been Konoha's law-book, a dreadfully boring piece of literature.

Sakuya gave him a cold look. "You are speaking out of order. As a civilian, your punishment lies solely in the hands of the civilian section of the council."

Shikaku looked up. "Either way, the kid raises a good point. Civilians can't desert the village, unless they steal vital information from Konoha and hand it over to the enemy. And you don't really want to try and claim an eight-year-old social outcast, no offense, would know anything interesting? Even if he did, how would you prove he talked?"

Naruto rolled his visible eye and pulled out the headband Sarutobi had given him. "As you can see, I have recently joined the ranks of Konoha's shinobi. As such, my punishment is out of the hands of the civilian council anyways." He knew that his chances with the shinobi were better than with the civilians, as while the civilians obviously hated him, most of the shinobi-council frankly didn't care about what he did as long as it wasn't detrimental to their wellbeing. Sakuya apparently knew this as well, as the grinding of her teeth were heard clearly from ten feet away.

Another merchant, one who Naruto remembered once sicked his watchdogs on Naruto when he had tried to enter his clothing-store, and laughed while he was mauled, jumped up. "I DEMAND THIS THING BE EXECUTED!"

Sarutobi frowned. "First of all, this is out of your hands, as Naruto is a shinobi. Secondly, executions are still something only I can authorize. And finally, on what charges?"

The merchant was about to answer, but then he heard the sound of Kushina's blade being loosened from the sheath so that it could be drawn quicker, an inch of the blade now in clear sight. Remembering the last time Kushina had come to him, it had ended with dead dogs, dog-blood all over his goods, broken bones and heavy scarring. He wisely shrunk in his seat, trying to make himself invisible.

Kushina stepped up. "Let me make one thing completely clear. If anyone even THINKS of doing anything to Naruto, I will make sure you'll FUCKING WISH YOU WERE NEVER BORN!"

Now the merchant jumped up. "You dare threaten us? Know your place, you insolent.. AAARRGGHH!"

Squelch

Few had seen what happened. Kushina had drawn her sword, given a single slash to the air and sheathed her blade in a split-second. However, the merchant's arm had dropped to the floor. What impressed Hiashi more than anyone was that it was not the result of Wind-chakra, but pure mastery of the sword that had allowed the cut to fly.

Danzo cleared his throat, ignoring the sobbing man that was being carted off to have his arm reattached. "Now that the tomfoolery is behind us, let's get to the real discussion, shall we? Naruto Uzumaki-Namikaze," There were angry hisses from the civilian side, but Kushina's cold look, together with the fact that her hand was still resting on her blade's handle, kept anyone from denying that Naruto was their hero's son "you say you were kidnapped?"

Naruto nodded. This man interested him greatly. While the eye-patch blocked Naruto's normal vision, he noticed that it could still see chakra, meaning that people coming from his right side were in fact not in his blind spot, but clearly visible as human-shaped hazes. Naruto could even identify people just by looking at that haze. This man was quite interesting from his right eye's point of view. The majority of his chakra was normal, but there were anomalies, barely visible because they seemed suppressed somehow. His right eye, hidden by bandages, had a different signature than his left eye. Not only that, on his right arm, there were ten more spots of different chakra, remarkably similar to the one in his right eye. Naruto was not sure what to make of that, but the other anomaly on the man's right shoulder was obvious. There was no way that Naruto would fail to identify the signature of one of his own puppets. The man's shoulder was giving off the signature of Hashirama Senju. Naruto looked at him. "Yes. And you are...?"

"My name is Danzou Shimura, I am a member of the shinobi-section of the council." Translation: Unlike the civilian idiots, my opinion of you actually can have consequences for you. "Am I correct in assuming that your... changes are a result of this kidnapping?"

Naruto nodded. "Yes. I was used for experimental purposes, my current appearance is the result of a number of experiments and operations performed on me during the last years."

Danzou nodded, more to himself. "Who was this kidnapper?"

Naruto's eye narrowed in anger. "Orochimaru." He spat.

The reaction was remarkable. Gasps rang through the room, the formerly rather disinterested council-members on the shinobi-side suddenly sat upright. All eyes were on Naruto and Danzou, who was shocked, although he kept his expression under control. "I see. With this, the situation is more serious than we originally anticipated. I believe I speak for everyone" He barely managed to keep himself from adding _important_ "when I say that a detailed report of what exactly happened is necessary."

Naruto nodded and started his explanation. He spared little detail, only omitting a few names, namely Kabuto's, making it sound like Karin had been his only caretaker, and what precisely his abilities were, at least those that they could keep secret. No reason to spill all his secrets to potential enemies. Danzou seemed to notice, but to Naruto's surprise he actually smirked. When Naruto finished, silence reigned.

Finally, Inoichi Yamanaka spoke. "Orochimaru has developed a jutsu that allows him to permanently take over the body of another?" As someone who prided himself on knowing a lot on mental jutsu and the mind in general, it was both fascinating and horrifying.

Naruto looked at him. "Yes." He said in a deadpanned tone.

Now Danzou spoke. "And to gain a perfect body, he used you, as the Kyuubi would not let you die from the procedure like all his other subjects. He succeeded, but using one of the abilities he injected into you, you managed to escape." He could understand Orochimaru's train of thought. If you are working on something that kills everyone you want to use it on, find someone who won't die.

"Correct." Naruto stated, the entire topic starting to get a bitter taste.

Danzou nodded to himself. "Would you mind showing us your eye?"

Naruto removed his patch. That had been one of those things that Naruto had told them, as it would be impossible to keep secret. Although they only knew it was the combination of the Sharingan and something else. The council was shocked, especially when the eyes moved independently from each other. Danzou automatically began to calculate what advantages and disadvantages such an ability would have.

He cleared his throat. "Well then. I believe you have given us all many things to think about, like how we will defend ourselves against this invasion. You are dismissed." He was about to turn away, when he paused. "One more thing. Have you ever heard of the Clan Restoration Act?"

Kushina's eyes narrowed. "What are you suggesting Danzou?"

The bandaged man raised his hand in defense, not interested in a tussle with an S-ranked shinobi. "Nothing. I'm not saying that it will be enforced," outraged cries came from the civilian corner, and even a number of shinobi looked as if they had just bitten into a lemon. They may not like Naruto, but such a powerful mixture of abilities, one of them being their beloved and nearly lost Sharingan, had an appeal to anyone with even a single braincell. "I'm merely stating that it is an option that he, should he ever feel it necessary, can resort to."

Kushina nodded, before letting her gaze wander over the entire council. "It is an option that Naruto may take if HE thinks it's necessary. If, and who is a choice that none of you have any say in, do I make myself clear?"

Nervous nodding followed, although darker words were whispered. Naruto had enough. "By the way, amongst my abilities is enhanced hearing, so I understand everything you say."

Sakuya sneered at him. "And what are you going to do? Those cuffs keep you from doing anything, you filthy..."

Naruto merely raised a brow, looked at the cuffs, and with a single tug, tore them apart. His scales had long since sucked all chakra out of the seals, meaning that they were nothing more than ink, wood, and a fine layer of metal. To his immense satisfaction, the woman shut up. He grinned. "I think I'll do this. _Suiton: Bakusui Shouha!_" He spat out great amounts of water, although it was dosed so that there would be no drowning. Sarutobi, Danzou and most of the shinobi had been able to jump on the waves and water-walk in time to stay dry, however others were not so lucky. Drenched, water-spitting and coughing council-members were littered across the room, the water seeping out through the door. There was no sign of Naruto or Kushina.

Danzou looked at Sarutobi. "I take it Kushina has taken him under her wing? This is just the kind of stunt she'd pull."

Sarutobi shrugged, amused. "Well, he got them good, and it beats going on a killing-spree."

Danzou nodded. "But a pranking-spree is not much better."

"True, but I'm grateful for small mercies."

-0-

After Sarutobi, Danzou and most shinobi had left, wet and angry councilors gathered. Nothing had gone as they planned! One of their most prominent members was hospitalized, they were soaked to the bones, and worst of all, Kushina was on a warpath. Things had been bad ever since Kushina showed up and started hospitalizing people left and right and claimed that the hellspawn they had just recently finally gotten out of their hair was not only her son, but she even had the audacity to state the Yondaime of all people was the demon's father! Of course, most had seen through her lies, but some had believed it, and had even started to gather clues that pointed towards that ridiculous conclusion. Some people, Ichiraku being at the head of that group, had sneered at the entire village, and that daughter of hers had become feared, that old story with the boiling oil not dying down. But when the brat returned was when things really started to spiral out of control. Assassinations and attempts of swooning had all been blocked by Kushina, who had become an impenetrable fortress shielding the demon from anything and anyone she did not personally approve of. Currently, that meant only Kakashi, Kurenai, Anko, Yuugao, and on some occasions Sarutobi. And now the demon not only had the Sharingan, but many other powers, and there was no way for them to get it, as Kushina had made clear.

Normally they could somewhat rely on Danzou to come up with something, but the elusive leader of the officially disbanded ROOT seemed to have decided that for the time-being, he didn't want to antagonize the unknown named Naruto that had just entered the equation, an understandable stance, not that they'd ever admit it.

Things had slipped out of their control, and unfortunately for them, they would not return to their standards.

-0-

Naruto bit his lip. He had told his mother to go ahead because he wanted to tell jiji something important, and in a way, that was true. However, he had a underhanded motive in giving that information, and what remained of his conscience was acting up. Was it really okay if he manipulated his grandfather-figure, even if the man had withheld his mother from him for so long, in such a way? He thought about it, and in the end the prankster that his mother had managed to awaken in him had answered. Yes. He sighed to himself as he slid out of the wall to Sarutobi's office, a second before the Hokage entered it himself.

This was by no means a coincident. Naruto had realized that after that last injection he had been given, he remembered every chakra-signature he ever encountered, and if he focused on only one signature, he could locate the person it belonged to no matter where on the planet he was. The only catch was that he had to memorize the signature, which took a few seconds, before his tracking worked. So the ability was not a radar, though with training it might become one, it was more like a bloodhound, catching a scent, or in this case a signature, and never losing it. Useful if you wanted to know where people you knew were.

Sarutobi was momentarily startled, before calming down when he saw who it was that had entered his office without anyone noticing. "Ah, Naruto, it's just you. What can I do for you?"

Naruto scratched his head. "I didn't want to say it in front of the whole council, so I waited. Could you send out the ANBU? This is really important."

Sarutobi's expression turned grim. He nodded and three ANBU stepped out of their hiding-places and left. "What is it?"

Naruto fidgeted. "Jiji, as Hokage, you know where the past Hokages are buried, right?"

Sarutobi slowly nodded his head. "Yes, I do. But I'm afraid I can't tell you where it is, not even the Hokage's family has a right to know, unless they are one of the few watchers of the tomb."

Naruto shook his head. "It's not about that jiji. I'm sorry to tell you, but Orochimaru has found the tomb."

The old Hokage paled. If this was true... a catastrophe of unimaginable proportions! "Are you sure Naruto?" It sounded almost begging.

Slowly, Naruto nodded. "I'm afraid I am. I just thought you should know. Bye jiji." With that, he sank into the ground.

Sarutobi stood there, thunderstruck. The remains of the Hokage in the hands of Orochimaru. It was too horrible to be true. He had to make sure. He rushed out of his office, informing his secretary that all appointments for the day were canceled and the ANBU that where he was going, they didn't have the required clearance. Then he rushed to the tomb, making sure that nobody saw him.

When he left it, he seemed to have aged years. The bodies of the Shodai and the Nidaime were gone.

-0-

On the top of the monument, Naruto sat up, looking down on the village from his father's head. He had followed jiji's signature, and it was easy to tell where the tomb was.

He hadn't known that before, as the tomb had originally not existed. The Shodai had originally been buried in the Senju-clan's tomb, and while the Nidaime had developed the idea of the tomb, he had fallen before he could start constructing it, leaving that task to Sarutobi, who, after receiving the Nidaime's body from Hanzou, had constructed it and moved the Shodai's body out of the Senju's tomb, the clan having practically died out by then so that he would rest with his brother.

Naruto sighed again and sank into the ground.

The room he emerged in was dark, but the torches in the walls that had probably lit up when Sarutobi had entered hadn't extinguished yet, so he could see the four open coffins, three of them empty, as the one they should hold was either still alive or had been taken from his resting-place, to never be returned there. Even if Naruto would lay the puppets into those coffins, it wouldn't be the same, and eventually the rumor that two powerful weapons were laying here would spread and the entire world would converge on Konoha to get their hands on it. That was also not the reason Naruto came. He checked the floor with his right eye, but found that there were no seals in the room aside from the coffins themselves, and a closer look revealed that they were all old seals. The real defense-work was probably at the entrance, something that Naruto had a feeling Sarutobi would soon change. Still, for now, he could do what he wanted without alarming anyone. He stepped to the last coffin, the only one that still held a corpse.

"Hello father." Naruto whispered.

The body of the Yondaime laid peaceful, as if he was only sleeping. A tear ran down Naruto's face. This was his father. They had one time looked so alike. Naruto couldn't help but ask himself how his life could have been if this man had still been alive. And knowing that that question could never be answered, he asked himself what his father would think of him if he could see him now.

He gently caressed his father's cold cheek. "Would you still love me? Would you be ashamed of what I am now? Of what I am about to do?" He looked at the man who he should have grown up with. "Please forgive me, but I feel that I need your knowledge, to protect what I cherish. To never lose anything again."

Naruto's hand inched forward, moving towards the Yondaime's forehead. His fingers started to shake, and he paused, his hand, floating inches above his father's forehead, disgusted at the feelings that were welling up inside of him. Naruto bit his lip. "I thought I was over this."

Naruto had a weakness, a single flaw that he had gained under Orochimaru. A flaw that Naruto had known even then would destroy him if he let it consume him. Naruto had an addiction.

He was addicted to memories.

It was not really his fault, nor was it anything he could really do something about. It had started when he began crafted human-puppets. The pain of cutting into human flesh, removing all that had once made them so special, had become overwhelming, and after his second puppet, he had felt as if he were about to go insane. He had fled into his mind, finding it to be a maze, he had eventually stumbled into the room that held his knowledge and his memories, looking like a library. There he found that the knowledge he had taken out of the heads of his now-puppets. He had looked through his memories, trying to find something he could view to get his mind off what he had done, to give him a semblance of happiness. But he realized that the scrolls that held his truly happy moments, his time with his parents, back in those first stages of infancy when everything was alright were washed out and impossible to decipher. It had crushed him.

In his desperation, he had just asked for a truly happy memory, and he had received it. A scroll had dropped in his lap, and Naruto opened it.

Suddenly he was an infant, giggling happily as two people who he instinctively knew were his parents played with him and rocked him to sleep. It was over in a second, but the experience had been unlike anything he had ever felt before. That unblemished bliss and happiness, that absolute certainty that he was loved had been the most wonderful thing he had ever felt. The only problem was, both people he had seen had a skin much too dark to be his parents. He looked at the scroll and saw that it was a memory belonging to Kira, his first human-puppet.

He had left his mind in shock, vowing to never peek into another's life again. Yet soon, it became too much for him to bear. That absolute loneliness, the horrible things he had to do, and most of all, the wish to feel that bliss again. He had returned, and he had dived into the memories that were never his. At first only a few, to relieve his anguish, but soon, he spent much of his time there, basking in the memories of friendship and love, all the positive emotions that he had never felt. He was practically wearing the memories out, experiencing them again and again, craving more with each burst of joy.

He had refused to admit it, but by the end, he had actually been secretly looking forward to making human-puppets, so that he could have more memories that he could experience. After he had made his tenth, if Orochimaru had offered him more memories in return for his services, Naruto knew he would not have hesitated a second to commit even the most vile slaughter. Feeling the joy had become the center of his life.

He was immensely grateful the man had been completely unaware of his guinea-pig's little vice, and instead given him the bodies of two men he had always adored more than anything else in the world. Seeing them had shocked him to the core. He had absorbed the memories of the Shodai and the Nidaime before resealing them, and feeling their pride and love for their village, and their firm morals and honor that they had upheld even in the most brutal wars had shaken him beyond what words could describe. His conscience had awoken once more, reminding him of who he once was. Self-disgust had overwhelmed him, making him realize just what he was becoming. He had fled his mental library, running like the hounds of hell were after him. This time, he had kept his word, and since that time not once dived into a memory not his own, no matter how desperately his body and mind craved the release. Fully realizing what he had become, and understanding what he now had to do to those who, if unintentionally, had saved him from a abyss he had almost completely submerged in had broken him. For the first time in his life, Naruto not only gave up on life, but he simply wished to die, to end it all before he truly became something that he almost had become once. A true monster. Ironically, that had been the moment he had found out that cutting his wrist would not grant him eternal peace, the moment when all the pieces had finally fallen into place and he understood everything that had happened to him. It had also been the moment that awakened both and unbreakable resolve to escape and a deep loathing for both himself and the man who had done this to him.

The reason that Naruto had been so desperately clinging to his humanity, his existence as a human being, was that he knew the feeling of losing it, and never wanted to experience that again.

As much as it shamed him to admit, even though he had never relieved another's memory since that day, although he had read the knowledge of jutsu and strategy in the form of written texts to aid his escape, he had still been addicted to the feelings, only now he was an addict on absolute withdrawal, or to use the slang-term, cold turkey. Only when he met his mother had the craving that had haunted him since that day finally stopped. Originally he had intended to basically download her entire memory, her skills and everything he might be able to use. That was when he learned the difference between the dead and the living.

With the dead, the information is laying there, ready to be picked, in perfect, though not necessarily chronological order. But when he entered Kushina's mind, he had entered a typhoon expecting a calm. Not only were images all shooting around, flashes of jiji telling her he was dead, many nights of crying herself to sleep and flashes of past memories with her husband, making plans for their baby, but the emotions that were swirling around were a completely new experience. What he felt then and there was on a completely different level than what he had taken from the heads of others. This was not some memory stolen and played like a record so that a little bit of emotion directed at someone else could be harvested, this was an encompassing love directed at him, directly at him. Those bitter twinges that had plagued him even in his past moments of greatest bliss, that nagging knowledge that what he feeling wasn't his, wasn't for him or even by him, it was not there. This was heaven, this was euphoria, this was... a mother's love. At that moment he had known two things with absolute certainty. One, that he never wanted to leave this woman again, and two, that now he would finally be free of this craving for foreign emotions, as with this woman, no, with his mother, he would be able to experience his own moments of happiness, felt by him and only by him.

But apparently, he had yet to completely shake off his old craving, as when he was about to touch his father, his entire body had shuddered with a sick anticipation. Naruto gulped and took a deep breath. "Forgive me." He placed his hand on his father's forehead, and the familiar rush of information washed over him. He had intended to only take the knowledge of seals, as that was what he needed and came for, but some of those memories were connected to people he had talked with when learning seals, so Naruto ended up absorbing everything, once again.

What he learned about the seal on his stomach was interesting, as he originally had thought that the tag was all that kept the gates shut, but what truly shook him were the memories his father had of him. Of what he had discussed with Naruto's mother, what he himself had hoped for Naruto, the moments of love when Minato had talked to him while he was still in his mother's womb, and that final love and grief when he had sealed the Kyuubi into him.

Speaking of the devil, or in this case demon, a voice rang through Naruto's head, surprisingly somewhat considerate and almost kind. _**"It's time to leave."**_

Naruto nodded and sank into the floor.

-0-

Kushina was humming to herself when she saw Naruto rise out of the floor. "Hello sweetie, did you tell... what's wrong?" Naruto's expression was worrying her. She had never seen him so... lost. "What's wrong? Did one of those stupid council-members do anything to you?"

Naruto looked at her with an unreadable expression, then he jumped at her, hugging her tightly and causing her to lose balance.

"Naruto! Are you alright? What's wrong? Did someone do something to do? Naruto, please, talk to me!"

Naruto didn't lift his head, instead hugging her tighter. "Nobody did anything to me." Now he looked at her. "Mom? Would you mind if we... staid like this for a while?"

Kushina blinked, then she smiled. "Of course not Naruto. But let's get a little more comfortable, okay?"

Once she had sat down in a more comfortable position, leaning against a wall, she simply hugged Naruto, and remained in that position, silent. Naruto seemed to relax more and more in her grip. Kushina smiled and began to sing him a lullaby. Naruto fell asleep with a smile on his face, the happiest and most honest smile he had smiled in his entire short life. For the first time, he knew something with absolute certainty that most people take for granted, he knew that both of his parents had loved him very much.

-0-

When Naruto woke up, he felt happy. A wonderful feeling, especially when he could simply enjoy it without a twinge of guilt. One of the many reasons he cherished his mother so much was that she made him feel loved, so that he did not even have to read her, also something he had not done since he met her, to know that she loved him. Right now she was snuggling with him, and Naruto couldn't be happier. The only thing that told him something him different was his nose. "Mom, what's that smell?"

Kushina gave him a completely fake look of innocence. "What are you talking about, Naru-chan?"

Naruto sniffed. "Something smells really good."

Kushina smelled, then she broke out in a grin. "Oh, _that_. Hmm, it could be a flower, or my new perfume, or it could be the ramen I had my clone make while you were sleeping..."

Naruto's face lit up like a Christmas-tree. "Ramen?"

Kushina laughed. "Yep, ramen. I just felt like it, and we do have to celebrate that we left those stupid councilors in the rain, don't we?"

Now Naruto grinned. "I'm not sure what you're talking about mom, but I do remember that the sprinklers activated shortly after we left."

Kushina shook her head. "Just a tip, if you want to make excuses, you should not take Kakashi as your role-model. You see, he tells bullshit-excuses, but he does it on purpose, so that if he actually decides to make a plausible excuse, everyone will believe him because it doesn't sound like nonsense. And while that works for him, it doesn't work for anyone. So if you have to make an excuse, make it believable, alright?"

Naruto nodded, looking at her like a puppy. A eye-patched, split-colored puppy. Still, she couldn't help but hug him, before they both left to do one of their favorite things, eating the food of the gods, ramen, together.

Naruto was also contemplating the knowledge he had gained from his father. What kinda made him feel better was that his father had wanted to teach Naruto everything he knew, so Naruto could ease his biting conscience by saying that he had just granted his father's wish. With Minato's knowledge about seals, not only could Naruto finally equip his puppets in the way he wanted, but he also gained new insights on other things, amongst those the Kyuubi's seal. Unlike your normal jinchuuriki, Naruto was not able to release the Kyuubi even if he wanted to, as there was a key, currently safely stored with a toad that Minato had trusted. Even with the man's extensive knowledge on his side, Naruto would need months to make a key himself, as key and seal were designed for each other, connected amongst other things through their identical time of creation, and he wasn't sure he wanted to. If he started on it, Kyuubi might look over his shoulder the whole time and make her own, and he really didn't want her messing around in his head, not to mention that he heard rumors that the bijuu leaving was not good for the jinchuuriki's health.

Anyways, he'd tinker with his puppets first, deciding whether or not to make a copy of a key that could unleash the most powerful being in existence back into the world later.

"_**Flattery will get you everywhere."**_ Kyuubi purred.

'That wasn't necessarily a compliment.' Naruto mentally replied.

"_**Again, that depends on your point of view. I think being called the most powerful being in existence is a very charming compliment."**_ Kyuubi nonchalantly replied.

Naruto decided to spare himself the headache of trying to argue with a century- if not millenium-old demon that twisted every word coming out of his mouth.

"_**Good. I have taught you well."**_ Kyuubi stated with a certain degree of satisfaction.

'Must ignore voice in head for sake of sanity.' Naruto thought to himself, turning his full attention on the ramen in front of him. Originally he had planned to make his next trip today, but he decided that tomorrow worked too. Or the day after that. Yeah, the day after tomorrow sounded good. Right now, he was too busy basking in his mother's love to even think of going anywhere.

Life was good.  
_

Chapter 8 is finished. A little angsty, but oh well. Not that much action, but I think it still is not too bad. The council-meeting was a little tricky, and it didn't go quite as well as I had hoped, I guess my focus was on the scene that came after it. Anyways, this will probably be one of the darkest chapters in this story, but I feel it is important to show that Naruto is not just the stereotype of a badass, but in fact a human being with faults and flaws. And lets be honest, it is very likely for a child from Naruto's background to crave love like I have described, especially if he can basically relive such experiences again and again.

As you may have guessed, I'm not making Danzou into a super-villain. He's a schemer and a backstabber when he feels it necessary, but in his own way, he is a patriot. Naruto is going to talk to him in the near future, but let's not get ahead of ourselves.

And yes, the council and the majority of Konoha's population denies that Naruto is the Yondaime's son. Sorry, but I just don't think that 'We hated this kid for years, but now someone says that he is the son of a hero so I will cower at his feet' is likely. Denial is a much more likely reaction, eventually followed by doubt and slowly, after perhaps years, realization. I don't believe in instant personality-changes, at least not unless brainwashing is involved.

On a different note, I officially apologize for taking so long to get the chapter done, my Abitur has gone into the second round and I've had little time for anything. I'm hoping to get some more writing done now that I have a bit more free time on my hands, so keep your fingers crossed.

Well, not much to say, so I'd go on to the review-replies, but a few people told me that you're not supposed to directly reply reviews and that the administrators, who are in my opinion seriously making a mess of things on this page right now, may delete my story if I do it, so I'll have to make due with a general Q & A, which have the advantage that more people read them and I don't have to answer the same questions every chapter. I mean seriously, not only has the search-function been a lot more bothersome to use, you can now neither look for stories within a certain rating nor can you enter a certain character to make your favorite types stories easier to find. I call bullshit and request they turn things back the way they were. This is all just a royal and unnecessary pain in the butt.

Anyways, the Q & A

Q: What effects will Naruto's actions in Mizu no Kuni have?  
A: For Naruto? Right now not so many. Of course rumors of a man who destroyed an army of 7000 men will spread, and Kiri will give him a ranking not seen since the Yondaime Hokage, an SS-ranked shinobi, but it will be given to unknown. Few people in Kiri even saw Naruto, and amongst those, only two know how the man who crushed the army looks like, and they're not about to blab it to anyone, to keep the enemy wondering if the one is perhaps amongst the troops they are charging at. Mental warfare can be very effective.

Q: How come Naruto randomly landed in Kiri, but was able to return to Konoha? And is there a speed-limit?  
A: Naruto landed in a random location because he gave a very random order for his destination. 'Anywhere but Oto and Ame' leaves a lot of places where he could pop up. When he returned to Konoha, he knew exactly where he wanted to go. Also, Zetsu does not move through the ground. He has popped out of objects that are in no way thick enough for his body to be completely hidden by them. He is slower than Madara, who can move anywhere instantaneously, but not by much.

Q: What will the gods do?  
A: For the moment, not too much. Not only does too much divine intervention ruin almost every plot, but the situation is tense. If one god intervenes too much, the others will think he's making a move to make himself look good in Naruto's eyes and start a potentially world-ending chain-reaction. Also, they know that if they go too far, Kami will intervene and just declare Naruto is hers to end the fighting, something that everyone is trying to avoid. And yes, in this fic Kami is a girl. Name one thing other than micro-organisms that produce life.

Q: Is it okay if ideas out of my stories are taken and used for other stories?  
A: Yes, as long as you tell me beforehand and state that it was my idea.

Q: What are the pairings?  
A: For the last time, I haven't decided yet! When I do, I'll write it in capital letters, but until then, I am open to suggestions and slowly starting to get annoyed by the question.

Q: Does Naruto have chakra-bloodlines?  
A: No, but the Rinnegan allows him to use all affinities, and the Sharingan allows him to copy jutsu. So he can use raw elemental-chakra and jutsu's he's seen, but he can't make new jutsu for an element without hard and extensive work. Also, chakra-bloodlines do more than simply allow creation of a new element, since neither Haku walking into the mirrors nor the Shodai's control over bijuu can be explained with 'Well, they could form this element'.

Well, I guess I've said enough, so

Please Review


	9. Unusual Encounters

Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

* * *

Naruto smiled. The parts he had ordered had finally arrived, most of them anyways, and he could begin upgrading his puppets. He went from simple things like obvious weapons over hidden weaponry to general additions.

With his father's knowledge, particularly regarding reverse-summoning and the _Hiraishin_, he could easily equip his puppets with the membrane he had thought of years ago, but never could actually build up til now, which would protect the delicate hearts from damage. In fact, he had gone one step further, by using not one, but two membranes. If the outer membrane was damaged, the heart would automatically be transferred from the puppet into Naruto, who would then be able to use their powers as himself. However, should the inner membrane be damaged, in other words, should someone directly attack Naruto, the hearts would be teleported to a safe location, where Naruto could easily pick them up and reunite them with their puppet.

Another useful addition was a system Naruto added to his ten main-puppets, a system consisting of what came down to plugs. They were built to come out of the hands, and designed in a way that they could both connect with another hand-plug, or a pair of holes located where the shoulder-blades would be. With them, so Naruto hoped, he'd be able to reproduce different element-mixes, reproducing elements that normally would only be usable with a specific bloodline.

Of course he knew that there was more to an elemental-bloodline than simply mixing two elements to creating a new one. Bloodline-users could embed their element with special properties that his mixes could not, but even so, it would be a first step, and allow Naruto to safely estimate just how much of each element he'd need to put into the mix to make it work, without endangering himself in the experiments.

Seals were generally a great addition to his puppets, and Naruto was more than generous in their application.

He was still waiting for a few more parts, but for the moment, his puppets had gone from 'A light bother for a B-rank' to 'A serious threat for an A-rank', which was quite an improvement.

Of course, part of the reason the deliveries took so long was that Naruto had insisted that he wanted hard and tough, but non-magnetic materials, as he had no intention of making things easy for an experienced Raiton-user, that type occasionally finding a way to influence magnetic fields, though few ever reached a level even close to that of the Sandaime Kazekage.

Well, he had done all he could for now, it was high-time to spend some time with his mother. He had locked himself up for three days, and he still wanted to make a few journeys. Perhaps one of his parents had come from Kumo?

-0-

Kushina hummed happily to herself. Had anyone told her a month ago that she would be able to go to bed without nightmares about what she had lost, she would have beaten the bastard to a pulp, but her son really lightened up her life.

They had been cheated out of much of the time they should have been spending together, but both of them seemed almost desperate to make up for lost time. Most nights Naruto actually crawled into her bed, hugging her tightly, as if to prove to himself that it was real, and perhaps fearing that if he let her go, she would vanish, like most of the good things in his life. They had been given a second chance, and both were determined to use it.

Though Kushina could tell that there were still depths in Naruto's mind that nobody, not even her, was privy to, traumas that he shared with nobody. She knew that Naruto had been, according to his own words, up to his elbows in a corpse, and from the nonchalant way he'd said that, more than once, but she didn't know why. What had Orochimaru forced Naruto to do that required such a monstrous act from one so young?

Kushina didn't push Naruto for answers, though. She didn't want to reopen old wounds, and perhaps Naruto was trying to forget. Still, she had vowed that she'd always be there, an open ear for his sorrow.

But for that to be always true, there was one more thing she needed to do, only that she didn't want to leave Naruto alone.

As coincident would have it, Naruto walked in that moment. "Mom, can I talk to you for a moment? I'd like to take another trip, is that okay?"

Kushina blinked. "Well... as long as you don't go anywhere dangerous. It just so happens that I wanted to talk to Sarutobi, so if you can promise to be back for dinner, and stay out of trouble, you can go on a short trip. But at the first sign of trouble, you're gone, alright?"

Naruto nodded obediently. "Yes mom."

Kushina still could not believe how wonderful it felt to be called that. She pulled Naruto into a hug, which the boy who had been starved of affection for so long eagerly returned.

"I love you, Naruto." Kushina whispered.

Naruto nodded, as he could practically feel his mother's love embrace him, feeling far better than any stolen memory. "I love you too mom."

Kushina grinned. "Now what do you say we go to Ichiraku's for lunch?"

-0-

'Where to go?' Naruto asked himself. He wanted to go to Kumo, despite it perhaps being dangerous. He simply had no clues just where his other parents had come from, and Kumo, the true strongest village from the military standpoint, seemed to be a fairly good start.

But just popping up inside the village seemed a stupid idea. Not only was the chance of being seen very high, but if Kumo had a detection-barrier like Konoha, then simply appearing out of nowhere would immediately raise alarms, and bring the entire village down on his head. No, it was better to appear a few miles away from Kumo, then walk the rest of the way by foot, and enter as a civilian. He had recently found out that while the _henge_ or disguise-illusions were beyond him, one of the ones who had donated their genes and abilities to him apparently had the ability to perfectly mimic the shape, voice, and even chakra-signature of any person that he or she had studied to a sufficient degree, which he intended to use for stealth. Suiyoukito, his futton-puppet, should be reasonably anonymous, but he'd fix that up when he was in Kumo's vicinity.

Skipping over the memories of his puppets, using them like a computer instead of 3D-cinema, he decided on a location. It was only a mile from Kumo, but it was by a lesser-known but regularly traveled path. It was nothing more than a bunch of boulders at a cliff-wall, so Naruto should have plenty of cover when he came out. Focusing on the location, he sank into the ground.

-0-

Naruto had planned to slide out of one of the boulders, flip mid-air and land on his feet, before he'd start with his disguise, so he came out of the wall fairly quickly. Looking back, it would have been smarter to first only poke his head out to analyze the situation, but despite all he'd been through, Naruto was still lacking in experience.

SPLAT

Needless to say, when he landed in hot water where he'd expected solid ground, he was frozen in shock.

Naruto fought himself up, noticing that steam made it difficult to see much. "HOT!" He called out, before blinking in confusion. "What the? Water?"

"Hey, whose there? Omoi, you pervert, I don't know how you found out we were here, but if that's you, then you've been a man for the longest time!" came a voice from behind.

Naruto turned around... and was frozen in place.

In front of him stood a girl of sixteen or seventeen years with long blond hair, another girl maybe a year younger, though with shorter hair and a larger bust, a few feet behind her on the left, while a third girl with tanned skin had the right flank. Oh, and all three were completely naked.

A blush went up Naruto's face, much like quicksilver rose in a thermometer, a small puff of smoke rising from Naruto's head when it reached the hairline, before all color left his face. These were girls. Naked girls. And he was looking at them. Naruto whimpered. He was so dead. He tried to escape, but it was too little, too late.

The long-haired blond had somehow heard his whimper, and rushed at him, grabbing him by the collar. "Now I have you, pervert! When I'm through with you, you'll wish you've never been... a kid?"

Naruto closed his eye, and moved his arms to protect his head, while spluttering out "I'msorryI'msorryI'msorryitwasanaccidentI'msorry!"

"Hey Yugito, did you get the pervert?" The tanned girl called out.

The long-haired blonde, Yugito looked at the odd kid she had dangling from her arm. Making a decision, she returned to her friends, who had wrapped towels around their bodies. "Samui, Karui, look at what I found."

Naruto whimpered again, eye closed, as he was carried closer to his doom. Karui blinked. "A brat? Typical. Barely a hair on the ball, but needs to peep."

"I wasn't peeping." Naruto meekly defended himself.

"Something's odd with his skin." The other blond stated in a neutral tone.

The tanned one blinked. "Huh? What the fuck? You're right Samui, the kid's a freak!"

Naruto flinched under the harsh judgment. It seemed there was little hope that all could be as accepting as jiji and his mother, but the word still hurt.

Yugito noticed his twitch, and that the boy's body seemed to slump together slightly. She felt a sting of pity for the little guy, knowing from personal experience how such words could hurt. Aside from his more than unusual pigmentation, the odd streaks of color in his hair, and the eye-patch, he actually looked kind of cute, in a wet-puppy-kinda way. "Karui, that's a little harsh."

Karui was unconvinced. "Look at the little pervert, he looks like some sicko's experiment!"

This time the flinch was impossible to miss, and Yugito wondered if Karui had unknowingly nailed the boy's situation. If that was true, then pity was perhaps fitting. But first thing's first. "If you weren't peeping on us, why are you here? Who are you anyways?"

The boy fidgeted, but the feeling of Yugito's sharp nails on his neck convinced him to hold still. "My name is Naruto. And... I really didn't mean to! I thought there were only rocks, where did the onsen come from?"

Samui raised a brow. Slightly. "It's new. It opened last week. But they were working on it for over a year."

Naruto blinked. "Oh. Well, that explains it, my info was just too old."

Yugito looked at him. "Even so, you should have noticed the hotspring before you landed in the water, on the girl's side no less. Explain."

Sweat began to roll from Naruto's forehead. "Oh that. Well, you see, it's kinda complicated, and.. oh look at the time, gotta go, bye!" With that, he somehow slipped from Yugito's grip, and scrambled for freedom.

Samui and Karui were blindsided by the boy's speed, but for Yugito, her cat-instincts only made her pounce on the moving target. Naruto was knocked to the floor, less than a foot away from freedom.

"And where do you think you're going, boy? We still haven't discussed your punishment for peeping."

"But I really wasn't!" Naruto tried to defend himself.

Yugito looked at the boy before her. It really was kinda adorable, the way he kept his one eye either closed or away from her assets. The boy was obviously really shy, and not the type to peep, something that both Samui and Karui had picked up as well. Karui had a grin on her face, clearly saying that she wanted to tease the boy.

Karui waded next to them. "Well, since he's in the onsen, I think he should take off his clothes as well."

Even the ever-stoic Samui cracked a small smile, as she stated in her neutral voice "They need to dry, or he'll get sick."

Yugito's own toothy smile appeared, giving a certain resemblance to the Cheshire cat. "Well, you heard the girls Naruto, off they go." With that, they stripped the struggling boy.

Naruto had recreated his reproductive-system after he escaped Orochimaru, but right now, he was seriously considering dissolving them again. He didn't use any of his abilities, because, well, the girls were the ones in the right. Whether intended or not, he had peeped on them, something his mom had told him was a very, very bad thing. And while he was very happy that they weren't hitting him, if only because he didn't know if he could suppress his scale-defense from activating from such an obvious attack, but this really was humiliating.

Naruto's head was an even scarlet when the girls pulled him back into the water, this time naked except for the eyepatch, though he had managed to cover his privates with a hand. He sat there in the water, not really knowing what he should do, when he felt something warm and soft press against his back. Yugito's breath was on his ear, sending shivers down his spine. "Hey Naruto," She whispered seductively "why so tense? Don't you enjoy the... _company_?"

Naruto's crimson face could be seen from space. "I-I-I...B-But...it really wasn't on purpose. I said I was sorry, please forgive me already."

Yugito laughed. On one side, she had pity for the boy, but this was just too funny. She was the host of the Nibi, something that had certain effects on her personality, and right now, kitty wanted to play. There was just something about this kid that set her at ease, maybe his smell, but the steam was too thick to properly get a whiff of him.

Suddenly Karui stood up, swiping over Naruto's face. The boy immediately understood what had happened, his right hand immediately covering the eye. "Give it back!"

Karui was holding up the boy's eye-patch, grinning. "Or what?"

Naruto really didn't want to hurt her, but he needed that patch! He didn't want anyone to see that eye, it would only make him feel even more out-of-place with the three pretty, no gorgeous girls around him.

Yugito blinked at the desperation in Naruto's voice. It seemed there was more to the patch than covering up an empty eye-socket, and to be honest, she was curious. But to the boy, who was jumping up, Karui dangling the patch just out of his reach, it seemed to be really important. "Karui, give it back."

Karui looked at her, and at that moment, Naruto made another jump, only this time, his arm actually stretched slightly, allowing him to pull it out of Karui's hand. He immediately replaced it over his right socket, unknowingly giving the girls a peek of a gray, somehow wrong eyeball that seemed bloated somehow.

Karui winced, her imagination turning that glimpse into the picture of a horribly disfigured organ, leaking fluids. No wonder the kid didn't want anyone to see.

Yugito on the other hand had noticed that there was a pattern of sorts in the eye, and suspected a dojutsu. Another thing that unnerved her was that, while she couldn't say it with complete certainty, she was pretty sure that the instant before it was covered, the gray eye had rolled in its socket, ignoring the cerulean eye looking in the opposite direction, to focus on her. Something was off with the kid.

But for now, Naruto seemed quite happy with having simply his eyepatch back.

-0-

Meanwhile, far away, a blue man with gill-like markings beneath his eyes and a large wrapped object around his back took seat in a restaurant, waiting for his partner to return with new orders. His meal had just arrived, and Kisame was about to dig in, when he noticed from the corner of the eyed that someone was taking place to his right. He looked up, and any thought of splitting heads was forgotten when he recognized the long white hair. He sighed, and went back to his meal.

The person to his right simply sat there, wordlessly looking at him.

Of all the people Kisame had killed, which included his own master, there was only one that wouldn't leave him alone, that he simply couldn't forget. "Hello, my beloved ghost."

The white-haired woman wearing Kiri's headband simply sat in silence, blood flowing from the wound in her torso that his katana had made, so long ago.

A few minutes later, Itachi sat on the spot opposite to Kisame, making his own order, before looking at his comrade. "Something wrong, Kisame?"

The treasonous swordsman glanced at the woman only he could see one last time, before shaking his head. "No, I'm fine."

-0-

Karui noticed her teammate was once again rubbing her shoulders. "Back-pain again, Samui?"

The stoic blond nodded. Yugito was catching on to Karui's plan, and as it would without a doubt prove whether or not the boy was a pervert.

Well, he was a boy, so he had a genetic disadvantage in such tests, but who knew, there was that mythical creature known as 'The Gentleman', and young ones generally had less interest in such things. The boy's blush proved that he had let the 'girls-are-icky-stage', but he was still really shy. His own appearance might be a further discouragement from mingling with society, as the boy obviously took rejection pretty badly, from the almost heartbroken expression on his face when Karui had called him a freak, and if Yugito's suspicion was correct, then he had looked different in the past. She tried to imagine him with blond hair, an even skin-tone, and two of those cerulean eyes, and nearly squealed at the cute image. If her mental picture was even close to the truth, then whoever had done that to him should be nailed to the top of Kumo's highest tower, also known as Lightning's Lover due to the frequent lightning-strikes, by his testicles.

Still, she kept her poker-face. "Naruto, you want us to forgive you, right?" She asked.

Naruto nodded his head quickly, really wanting the pretty nee-chans to not be angry with him.

Karui grinned. "Well then, give Samui a good backrub, and we'll consider it."

Samui raised a brow, but she lowered herself deeper into the waters, showing Naruto her back.

For a second, Naruto stared in complete confusion. When he realized the girls were serious, he looked at the back, then at his hands. His mouths were shut tightly, but just for good measures, he focused, a black thread coming out of each wrist, sewing the mouths shut. It stung, but Naruto really didn't want to be called a pervert. Hesitantly he placed his hands on Samui's shoulders, marveling at how soft her skin felt for a second, before he felt his consciousness beginning to dig into her mind. He pulled his hands back immediately, but a glare from Karui told him to keep working. So this time, he focused on only learning where her back hurt her, and basically blocked all other things, to avoid violating her privacy.

He had given his mother a few massages, and once massaged Karin, so he had an idea what to do, and knowing where those tense spots were really helped, so after only a minute of massage, Samui actually broke out into a smile. "Ah, right there. Little harder."

-0-

It took ten more minutes until Samui was happy, and Naruto was told that they had forgiven him. Of course, that didn't mean he was free to go. Just as he left the onsen, he felt an arm wrap around his chest, pulling him into a soft valley, before he found himself carried under Samui's arm.

"Samui, what are you doing?" Karui asked.

"He gives good backrubs." The blond answered in her same monotone. "I'm keeping him."

Now Yugito looked up. "No way, I found him, he's mine!"

Samui seemed to ponder this, before Naruto was handed over. "I will be borrowing him."

Naruto blinked, a bit blindsided by the sudden turn of events. "Wait, what? You can't just...huh?"

The girls ignored him, and started shinobi-travel in the same direction Naruto had originally intended to go to Kumo, but not like this!

-0-

On the positive side, he was practically waved through the security-checks. The girls separated soon after, Naruto still trapped in the clutches of what he knew from his right eye was the Nibi-jinchuuriki. She carried him to Kumo's slums, before stopping before an apartment that seemed particularly desolate. The walls were covered in graffiti, and trash was scattered everywhere. Naruto had uncomfortable flashbacks to his own old house in Konoha, before he had been kidnapped.

Yugito sighed, before biting her finger, channeling chakra into it, and pressing it against a door that was practically covered with insults. The door opened, and Yugito stepped in.

Naruto felt like he had entered a different world. Everything was clean and shiny, someone apparently putting much care into making sure everything looked nice.

Yugito opened a steel door, leading to a very solid cellar, before she threw the baggage against the wall. She was not at all surprised when the boy flipped mid-air, landing on his feet, before jumping to the floor. "Who are you?" She demanded.

Naruto blinked. "What do you mean?" He asked, hoping to get out of the situation somehow.

Yugito charged at him, her nails sharpened to razor-sharp claws. Naruto dodged, barely suppressing the urge to counter-attack. Yugito sneered. "Don't play dumb! You're obviously a shinobi! Who sent you?"

Naruto sighed, before his posture straightened. "You're right, I'm not a civilian. But nobody sent me, I came just because there's something I want to know, and I hoped Kumo had some answers."

Yugito's eyes narrowed. "So you're a spy."

Naruto shook his head. "I'm not interested in military secrets. I'm looking for information regarding individuals with certain abilities."

"That's called spying." She sighed. She had actually kinda liked the two-colored boy.

"No, it's... wait, if you knew that I wasn't a civilian, why did you take me into the village?"

Yugito blinked. Why had she done that? Because she didn't want to worry the other two? No. Because she wanted to deal with the spy herself? Closer, but that still wasn't the reason. It was because she had hoped that she was wrong. Instead of voicing her inner turmoil, she charged a bit of her bijuu's chakra through her body, dropped to all fours, and vanished, reappearing right in front of the boy, intending to take his head with a single strike. She jumped back with a hiss, holding her bleeding hand.

Gray scales had sprouted from the boy's body, forming a natural armor of sorts. The scales shivered slightly, causing a sound similar to that of a rattlesnake. A warning to stay away.

Yugito's eyes narrowed. "Looks like I underestimated you." She channeled Nibi's youki into her hands, intending to use its darker abilities, when the boy pointed his hand at her.

"_Shinra Tensei_" Yugito was thrown against the wall. She hissed in pain, and Naruto lowered his hand, worried he had hurt her, before she opened her mouth and spat a fireball at him. Naruto's hand shot up again, scales covering the palm, thread opening to reveal the sharp-toothed maw. The fireball stopped, before it was sucked into the greedy abyss.

"Can we now talk, please?" Naruto asked.

Yugito ground her teeth in anger, and Naruto was getting desperate. How could he tell her that he was not the enemy?

"_**Naruto, tell her these words, exactly these words: Does the little kitten really want another spanking? If so, all she has to do is ask."**_ Kyuubi ordered.

Naruto blinked, really not wanting to say something so provoking, but he had the feeling that there was some history that he wasn't aware of. So he gulped. "Here's a message: Does the little kitten really want another spanking? If so, all she has to do is ask."

Yugito nearly roared in anger, before her bijuu stopped her. She blinked a few times, before looking at Naruto. "You hold the Kyuubi?" She asked in disbelief.

Naruto nodded. "Can we talk now?"

Yugito fainted.

-0-

When the jinchuuriki of the two-tailed cat awoke, she found herself on her couch, a plate with sushi in front of her. She immediately devoured it, before it could vanish, when she heard a laugh.

"Hungry?"

Her head shot up, and she saw a boy with blond hair with colored streaks, and a very unique tan. "You!" She called out, before looking at the empty plate. "Did you make those?"

Naruto nodded.

"A little more salt next time." Yugito stated, before she frowned. "Wait, everything I own is sealed shut, how did you get the ingredients?"

Naruto blinked sheepishly. "Well, you see... These scales of mine absorb chakra, and I recently found out that that includes the chakra in seals. Don't worry though," he quickly added at her shocked expression "I fixed everything afterwords." 'Thank you father, you saved my hide.' He silently added.

Yugito shook her head. "I want the full story. Now."

Naruto took a deep breath, and began to tell her a slightly edited version, leaving out a few things that really weren't her business, but outlining what he'd been through.

-0-

After Naruto finished, Yugito shook her head, her pity for Naruto having soared, coupled with the knowledge that his fate could have hit any jinchuuriki, including her. "So that's why you came. Well, I kinda understand it, but still. Also, you said that you heard Orochimaru got those samples from an organization he joined, likely after leaving Konoha. So perhaps bingo-books might have more clues than randomly digging through villages, hoping for a shred of information."

Naruto blinked. He felt like an idiot for not thinking of that sooner. He slapped his forehead. "Oh, I'm so stupid! Thanks Yugito-chan!"

Yugito grinned. "You'll pay me back."

Naruto blinked. "Huh?"

Her grin widened. "In three weeks, you're taking me shopping. There's a lovely village not far from here, and I've been planning on going for a while, but I never found the time."

Naruto was still confused, though a shiver went down his spine at the word 'shopping'. "B-But why me?"

Yugito patted his head. "Now now Naruto, that's just rude. Not only did I help you on your quest, but you still owe me for the show."

Naruto looked completely lost. "What show?"

"In the onsen." Yugito replied, and Naruto turned crimson.

What could one possibly reply to that? "Oh. O-okay then, when?"

Yugito clapped her hands. "Let's see. I have a few missions coming in, so... in nineteen days, Wednesday?"

Naruto mentally calculated. The genin-exams where on Wednesday, but he already had a hiteate, so he was free. "Okay, what time?"

Yugito suddenly kissed him on the cheek, effectively shutting his brain down. "11:00AM in front of the onsen, don't be late. Now I want to see how you landed in the onsen without noticing it."

Obediently, Naruto sank into the earth, Yugito whistling in respect for such a jutsu. She waved at him. "See you Wednesday."

And even though Yugito seemed to have forgiven him, the last thought going through Naruto's head was 'I saw her naked. I violated her privacy. I should be in prison, where no woman is bothered by me.'

He didn't even notice that that thought had been accepted as the destination.

-0-

This time Naruto made sure that his head was the only thing sticking out of the wall, so that he could leave before another such accident happened.

He was in a dark room, an empty bed, three solid walls and the last one bars. A shudder went down his back, memories from Orochimaru's lab crawling back into his mind, before he suppressed them. This was a cell, but who was the prisoner?

He spotted her a second later, leaned against a wall. She was wearing a gray shirt, gray pants, and no shoes. Her long white hair was filthy, it seemed that she hadn't washed in a while. She was very thin, almost skeletal, and his eye told her that she was not doing well. In fact, it seemed like she was preparing to knock on death's door.

Without thinking, Naruto slipped out of the wall, and was next to her in an instant. Her left arm had scars, going in horizontal lines, as if she had tried to slit her wrist multiple times.

He gently shook her. "Hey, are you okay? What's wrong?"

The woman didn't answer, her eyes glued to the wall. Naruto followed her eyes, and his own widened.

On the wall was a picture, painted in what had to be blood. The woman had apparently used her own blood as paint, and drew a picture of a face with nothing but her fingers.

It was crude, but one could clearly identify of a face with sharp teeth, a hiteate of Kiri under a kinda onion-shaped hairstyle that reminded him of Ao's, and three curved lines under each of the small, perfectly circular eyes.

"Kisame." The woman muttered, her voice raspy.

Naruto blinked, wondering what feelings would motivate one to pour one's life into a picture. Was it hatred or love that kept her going? His thoughts were interrupted by someone rattling on the bars. Naruto hid in the shadows, but the man hadn't even noticed him. He was focused on the girl, and as Naruto could smell even from where he was, dead drunk.

"Eh 'ou bitch!" The drunk slurred out. "Nobody there to shave 'ou thish time. Now 'ou're _hickup_ my whore."

He unlocked the door, stumbled in, and closed it again, his free hand fumbling his belt.

Naruto's mind was going a mile a minute. The woman was in no condition to defend herself, she was weakened, starved, underweight, and barely conscious. In her condition, there was a chance she wouldn't survive the ordeal this bastard wanted to put on her. The woman needed help, and the scum, who's face in Naruto's mind overlapped with that of Orochimaru, needed to die. Before he could decide on an approach, his left arm had shot up, his index-finger extended and pointing at the sleazy guard.

"Ey, who te 'ell are...?" Was as far as he got, before Naruto's finger, suddenly brown, shot forward like a spear, piercing the man's heart. His right index-finger had pierced the woman, but not only did she not seem in pain, but Naruto felt something pump into her.

"_**A little something I came up with. Now we'll see if it works, and she's compatible with your flesh."**_ Kyuubi commented, though Naruto didn't understand what she was referring to.

The man twitched a few more times, before he slumped together. Then it happened. He seemed to thin down, as if he was a leaking balloon. At the same time, Naruto could feel his body was breaking something down, making it into its own, before leaving him to pour into the woman, who had turned completely brownish gray, her body rippling.

By the time Naruto stopped, the warden was little more than a dried-up husk that actually crumbled to dust when Naruto gave it a kick.

The woman was still rippling, but a few minutes after Naruto removed his finger from her, that too stopped, and the woman regained her normal color. Only now, she didn't look like a living corpse. Her skin had a healthy color, though the scars were still there, and she had gained weight, her body now curvy and seemingly at peak-condition.

The woman hadn't noticed anything, and still looked at the drawing. "Kisame..." She muttered again.

Naruto gently patted her. "What's your name?"

The woman didn't look at him, but his question had reached through the haze of her mind, together with the gentleness of his actions, loosening her tongue for the first time in years. There was just an instinctual trust to the voice. "Yume. Yume Mugetsu."

Naruto nodded to himself. That was something. "Why are you here?"

Yume blinked. "The war. Ambush. Kisame...information. Has to stay secret."

So the woman was a POW. Good to know. But from what war?

He picked up the clothes of the warden, looking for ID. When he found it, he rushed to the bars, and stared out. There it was. A spiral in a leaf. This was a Konoha-prison! He would need to have some words with jiji.

He gently stroked Yume's hair. "I'll be back. Watch out for yourself, and don't let anyone take advantage of you."

Yume nodded, and Naruto knew that right now, there was nothing else he could do.

-0-

Sarutobi sighed. He had spent the entire afternoon arguing with Kushina, then after finally giving in, he had to set the gears in motion to ensure that her request was official, so nobody could later give him shit about it. But thanks to Naruto, he now had plenty of free time. It was not as much as it should be, as he now had to start the process against the cheaters, and find replacements, but his burden had dropped significantly.

Right now, Kushina was sitting in front of him, full of expectation.

At least this once, he could give her good news, and not disappoint her. "Well, your request went through, and I can already say that it's granted."

Kushina smiled happily. "Thank you Hokage-sama."

Sarutobi nodded. "Well, if that's all, then..."

Suddenly Naruto stepped out of the wall. "Jiji, we need to talk."

Sarutobi blinked. "Certainly, about what?"

Naruto's expression was neutral. "I'd like to know what crime a certain prisoner is accused of."

Sarutobi blinked, this was not what he had expected. "Sure, which one?"

"A woman, long white hair, hails from Kiri. Keeps muttering the name Kisame."

Sarutobi sighed. "I know who you're talking about. The woman was brought here by Ibiki himself. He had cornered a squad holding some of Kiri's most valuable secrets, from their codes over military operations. However, the guard that was sent along, Kisame Hoshigaki, killed them all, as he feared that they would not be able to withstand Ibiki's torture. Kisame put up a good fight, and since he was alone, actually managed to escape. The woman was barely alive, and only coincident allowed her to live, as Tsunade just happened to be close by. She was then taken to Hi no Kuni, and Ibiki pulled every trick in the book to gain information. But she closed up, and even under torture did not even give away her name. She even managed to block Inoichi, though that jutsu also shrouded her in what Inoichi describes as mental darkness. She's barely aware of her surroundings, and her knowledge is even beyond her grasp. Not that it matters, by now all information she had is outdated and useless. The most complex thing she does is paint Kisame's face on a wall of her cell. It was cleaned multiple times, but when the guards realized that she wouldn't stop, they just let her. We would have returned her to Kiri long ago, however with the country still embroiled in war, there's just nobody to contact."

Naruto nodded. "I see. Would it be possible to move her somewhere else? Just a few minutes ago, I... prevented a rape. The culprit won't be seen ever again."

Kushina frowned. As a woman, rapists were something she hated more than anything else. Also, Naruto was finally making some human-contact outside of her, which she was trying to encourage. "Hokage-sama, I wish to take the woman under my protection until she can be returned to her country."

Sarutobi frowned. Handing over prisoners like that was against protocol, but under the given circumstances, perhaps not the worst choice. Also, he'd order a thorough investigation of the prison-workers, and while he was at it, all other institutions. After all, if corruption had spread both within the prison and the Hokage-tower, then it could have reached other places as well, and eventually endanger the entire tree that was Konoha. "I'll see what can be done." He promised.

Naruto nodded, and left the tower with Kushina.

"So Naruto," Kushina asked "did you meet anyone interesting?"

Naruto thought of Yugito, Samui and Karui, and a slight blush reddened his cheeks. "Yes. And mom?"

"Yes Naruto?" Kushina answered, her mother-instincts telling her that something she could tease her son with would follow.

"I was more or less forced into promising another meeting with this girl. Do you mind if I go?"

Kushina wiped away an imaginary tear. "My little sochi, already going on dates. He's such a little heartbreaker already."

The reaction was immediate. "Mom! I was serious."

Kushina laughed. "I know. When we're home, you'll have to tell me everything."

Knowing this was a battle he couldn't win, Naruto gave into his fate. "Yes mom."

* * *

Chapter 9 is done. I can't believe it took this long, but it's done. Very little action, but a few meetings that can easily change things, and I believe that such chapters are also important. As for the onsen-scene, I always had this idea in the back of my head, and eventually I just decided to go with it. Sorry if it wasn't that good, I'm still new to that type of writing.

I have no excuse for not updating this story so long, only that life happened and I just never found the time. I hope my readers forgive me, as I said before, non of my stories are abandoned or canceled.

And Naruto thinks himself much uglier than he really is. Yes, he looks unusual, but in the world of Naruto, blue is a natural skin-color! I rest my case.

I know that the only fight-scene was very short, but Yugito was blindsided by Naruto's powers, and lets be honest, they are badass. And I reduced her age, placing her only a year ahead of Samui and Karui. Regarding Kisame and the woman I named Yume, well I did want to make the Akatsuki good, or at least not evil, and even canon-Kisame had regrets about the murder of his comrades, which showed in his attitude against 'the world of falsehood', so I decided to go with that.

I actually wanted to show another event that would show Naruto's inhuman tendencies, but I'm afraid that will have to wait until next chapter, when Yume is released. And don't worry, Naruto accepted that he's different, but as said before, he's seen monsters in human shape, so he accepts that he's a human in a monster's shape. Of course, that doesn't mean he's not touchy on the subject, as Karui showed. Next chapter will also introduce Naruto to another new thing, and Danzou will be in for a small scare, though I repeat, he is not an antagonist, and will neither die nor be imprisoned. The scare won't even have anything to do with him directly, but that's all I'm willing to give away right now.

Some criticized Naruto not turning Minato into a puppet. There are two reasons why I didn't. One, the moral standpoint, as that would be desecrating his father's corpse, and second, why? Minato had no bloodlines, sealing is useless to a puppet, the Rasengan isn't that special, and using the Hiraishin would sever the chakra-strings, meaning that the puppet would uselessly collapse the second it was used. There was no logical reason to turn Minato into a puppet.

As for Kyuubi's actions, it's not kindness or a wish to help, it's raw curiosity that drives her. She didn't help Naruto to be nice, she just wanted to see if what she came up with worked. That it helped a human was just a neglectable side-effect.

To clear up one thing, Naruto has the abilities of the Akatsuki, not their memories. He does not know the people they do, and he still has no idea about half of what he can do.

And to those worrying, calm down, the story won't just turn into Naruto randomly traveling everywhere. Probably next chapter, the one after that at worst, the genin-exams will be, and the teams will be made, at which point Naruto will not have that much time to travel around. He might do one or two, but those will have plot-reasons, mostly.

One more thing, some are suggesting Naruto to make Samehada-like weapons. Trust me, I have something planned that may go to that direction, and I promise it'll be amusing.

Now to the Q&A

Q: Why are the gods so interested in souls, and Naruto?  
A: For one thing, gods draw a certain strength from those that believe in them. It's not vital to their existence, but it's pleasant. Also, gods are forbidden from directly interacting with the world of mortals, unless summoned, like Susanoo, Yama, and the Shinigami, so if they want to interact with the world, they need messengers, and while there are living believers, those don't always have the needed qualities, so the more souls one has in store, the more likely it is one can send the perfect messenger down to alter events the way one wants them to go. And no, souls can't be shared. They can be borrowed, but that's rarely done, as it would signify a personal lack to have to ask another god. Well, in Naruto's case there could be some arguing, but that's neither here nor there.

Q: With the Akatsuki good, won't there be a distinct lack of villains?  
A: For one thing, good people can be misguided and deceived, and nobody said that Madara was good. Second, I did take that into consideration, and there will be other enemies, though I have to invent those. Ah, the burdens of being an author.

Q: How many puppets does Naruto have?  
A: At the moment 13. His 10 'normal' human-puppets, the Hokages, and Hanzou. He might get more later, though.

Well, my AN is long enough, so I only have one more request:

Please Review


End file.
